“Super mouse” resistent to cancer
From Cancer Research & Technology
Looking at the Tools of the Trade: “Super Mouse”
Mice of this strain may not have super strength, invulnerability or the ability to fly, but they have helped spawn plenty of new research into preventing and/or treating many types of cancer.
In 2007, a team discovered a gene, Par-4, that specifically kills cancer cells without killing normal cells, and they used this gene to develop cancer-resistant mice – mice with an extraordinary ability to stay healthy and tumor-free compared to normal mice. These mice have since helped scientists make the link between Par-4 downregulation and women who experience breast cancer relapse, are now being used to investigate the role of Par-4 in other types of tumors, and to investigate ways of safely activating Par-4 in cells where it is suppressed.
News source: http://bit.ly/19tR7D3
Image: Nikhil Hebbar, a student researcher in Rangnekar’s lab, holds the cancer-resistant mouse, also known as the “super mouse.” Photo courtesy of the University of Kentucky
#supermouse #Par4 #cancerresearch
PS: I am interested in what the difference between Par-4 and other tumor suppressor. The answer is:
… Par-4 so special is that it is not mutated as frequently as other known suppressors, and it’s “selective” in its actions in that Par-4 will only kill cancer cells and not normal cells. Par-4 can become ‘suppressed’ or inactivated, leading to tumor re-growth, but Par-4 can be ‘activated’ again — and one of the next major steps is developing a safe and effective way to activate Par-4 in the cancerous cells.
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