Ottawa researchers identify protein involved in breast cancer development

Laboratory findings point to a possible treatment target, but further research is needed.

Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have identified a protein that could offer a target for future breast cancer treatments.

The team, led by Dr. Luc Sabourin, studied Sox10 in a mouse model of HER2-positive breast cancer. Removing the protein from cells lining the milk ducts prevented tumours from developing.

In separate experiments, deleting Sox10 from tumour cells reduced their capacity to renew themselves. Those cells also failed to grow and spread to other organs when transplanted into mice.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, come from laboratory and animal research. They do not establish a treatment for patients.

“Our next step is to find and test possible drugs that target this protein,” Sabourin said in the hospital’s announcement.

Sabourin is a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Ottawa.

Source: https://ohri.ca/en/newsroom/researchers-uncover-key-ingredient-breast-cancer-initiation

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