DETROIT, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Members from the laboratory of
Stephen Ethier, Ph.D., deputy center director and director of basic science
for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, will present research
findings on breast cancer-causing genes and how they operate at the
American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting, April 13-18, in Los
Angeles, CA.
"We know there are genetic drivers of this disease," said Dr. Ethier,
principal investigator of a breast cancer research lab at Karmanos Cancer
Institute. "My lab wants to prove what genes are causing (breast) cancer,
and we're coming up with some novel research that we believe will prove
which genes cause this disease."
Dr. Ethier's laboratory is also researching how these cancer-causing
genes, often referred to as oncogenes, function so effective therapies can
be targeted toward them.
Two members from his lab, Katie L. Streicher, Ph.D., and Nicole E.
Willmarth, are studying a subset of breast cancers with epidermal growth
factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression, which correlates with a poor
prognosis. They recently discovered that to effectively target EGFR, the
ligand amphiregulin (AR) and the cytokine IL-1 must be targeted, or "turned
off."
"Members of my lab are conducting exciting, novel research," Dr. Ethier
commented. "They are some of the best researchers in the field and perform
vitally important work that could benefit generations to come. This smart
and talented team remains focused on our ultimate goal of eradicating
breast cancer."
Schedule of Presentations
1 - 5 p.m., Sunday, April 15, 2007 -- Zeng-Quan Yang, Stephen P.
Ethier. Methylation-associated silencing of SFRP1 in breast cancers with
8p11-12 amplified region.
8 a.m. - 12 p.m., Monday, April 16, 2007 -- Katie L. Streicher, Nicole
E. Willmarth, Stephen P. Ethier. Up-regulation of IL-1 by amphiregulin
alters EGFR activation by modifying a tyrosine phosphatase.
8 a.m. - 12 p.m., Tuesday, April 17, 2007 -- Nicole E. Willmarth,
Stephen P. Ethier. EGFR overexpression as a result of receptor
stabilization in breast cancer cells with an amphiregulin/EGFR autocrine
loop.
1 - 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 17, 2007 -- Mona Mostafa Mohamed, Dora
Cavallo- Medved, Julie Dosescu, Deborah Rudy, Mary Olive, Kamiar Moin,
Stephen P. Ethier, Bonnie F. Sloane. Interactions between human monocytic
cells and human inflammatory breast cancer cells modulate expression of
E-cadherin, caveolin-1 and a caveolai-associated protease, cathepsin B.
11:25 - 11:40 a.m., Wednesday, April 18, 2007 -- Gang Liu, Zeng-Quan Yang,
Katie L. Streicher, Stephen P. Ethier. WHSC1L1, a new candidate oncogene
within the 8p11-12 amplicon induces a proliferative advantage in breast
cancer.
The AACR was founded in 1907 by a group of eleven physicians and
scientists interested in research, "to further the investigation and spread
the knowledge of cancer." Today, AACR accelerates progress toward the
prevention and cure of cancer by promoting research, education,
communication, and advocacy.
Based in midtown Detroit, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is
committed to a future free of cancer. The Institute is one of 39 National
Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United
States. Caring for more than 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of
$216 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific
investigation programs and clinical trials, the Karmanos Cancer Institute
is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000
staff, including nearly 300 faculty members, and supported by thousands of
volunteer and financial donors, the Institute strives to prevent, detect
and eradicate all forms of cancer. John C. Ruckdeschel, M.D. is the
Institute's president and CEO.
SOURCE Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
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Related links:
http://www.karmanos.org
CONTACT:
Courtney McCrimmon, +1-412-225-6899, or Linda
Remington, +1-313-576-8614, both for the Barbara Ann Karmanos
Cancer Institute
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