Why we funded it
These findings are encouraging because drugs that block SK1 are
available and could be tested fairly easily in patients in clinical
trials. This project will focus on working out how SK1 helps
prostate cancer cell move and which drugs are the best ones to use
to stop prostate cancer spreading to the bone.
Scientific title
Sphingosine kinase-1signalling during prostate cancer cell
motility, invasion and metastasis
Research project summary
This research project will investigate a novel mechanism used by
prostate cancer to spread to other parts of the body like the bone.
This process is called metastasis and is the major cause of death
from prostate cancer. Dr Pshezhetskiy and Dr Sturge, alongside
their research team, have recently discovered a new molecular event
in prostate cancer cells that could allow them to spread by the
process of metastasis. These are particularly exciting results
because drugs that can block this molecular event are available so
could easily be tested in patients in clinical trials to see if the
drugs can stop metastasis.
The molecular event that they have discovered involves a protein
called SK1. Prostate cancer cells have more SK1 than normal
prostate cells. The large amounts of SK1 allows cancer cells to
grow faster and move faster. SK1 also helps the cancer cells to
protect themselves against current treatments and so allows them to
keep on growing faster and moving faster. For these reasons drugs
have been produced to try and block the effects of SK1 in the body
but we do not understand how SK1 works to have these effects in
prostate cancer cells. In the current project, the team will focus
on discovering how SK1 might help prostate cancer cell move and
which drugs are the best ones to use to stop prostate cancer
spreading to the bone.
Further information on the study...