Grant Holder
Professor Wen Jiang

Researcher
Dr Chris Parr

Completed project
Cardiff - Wales

Institute
University of Wales, Cardiff

Amount Awarded
£67,635.00

Duration
24 months

Type of Award
Project grant

Title

NK4, a new HGF/SF antagonist, as a novel anti-metastasis tool in breast cancer

Synopsis

Local and distant spread (metastasis) of breast cancer is the most life-threatening event and is the main cause of death of patients with breast cancer. This study proposes to test if a newly discovered molecule, known as NK4, can reduce the spread of breast cancer.

Aims & Goals

Metastatic spread of breast cancer is the primary cause of death in patients with the disease. We are currently developing reagents that can suppress the spread of breast cancer in the body. We have successfully completed laboratory tests and are moving close to a pre-clinical test.

Updates

We have shown that NK4 can slow the HGF/SF-induced metastatic spread of breast cancer in the laboratory, and more importantly, we have used NK4 to actually suppress breast tumour growth Therefore, NK4 may represent a potential treatment for breast cancer.

Publications

Title Supression of invasiveness and cellular motility of breast cancer cells by a hammerhead ribozyme encoding cMET antisense. ribozyme encoding cMET antisense.
Year 2001
Authors Jiang WG, Grimshaw D, Leterra J, Abounader R, Lane J, Mansel RE.
Title A hammerhead ribozyme suppresses expression of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor receptor c-MET and reduces migration and invasiveness of breast cancer cells
Year 2001
Authors Wen G Jiang, David Grimshaw, Jane Lane, Tracey A Martin, Roger Abounder, John Laterra, and Robert E. Mansel
Title Expression of hepatpcyte growth factor/scatter factor, its activator, inhibitors and the c-Met receptor in human cancer
Year 2001
Authors Christian Parr and Wen G. Jiang
Title Molecular detection of micro-metastasis in breast cancer
Year 2002
Authors Wen G. Jiang, Tracey A. Martin, Robert E. Mansel.
Title Antagonistic effect of NK4 on HGF/SF induced changes in the transendothelial resistance (TER) and paracellular permeability of human vascular endothelial cells
Year 2002
Authors Tracey A. Martin, Robert E. Mansel and Wen G.Jiang.
Title Biphasic effects of 17-b-estradiol on expression of occluding and transendothelial resistance and paracellular permeability in human vascular endothelial cells
Year 2003
Authors Lin Ye, Tracey A. Martin, Christian Parr, Gregory M Harrison, Robert E. Mansel, and Wen G. Jiang.
Title Growth and angiogenesis of human breast cancer in a nude mouse tumour model is reduced by NK4, the HGF/SF antagonist
Year 2003
Authors Tracey A. Martin, Christian Parr, Gaynor Davies, Gareth Watkins, Jane Lane, Kunio Matsumotot, T. Nakamura, Robert E. Mansel and Wen G. Jiang.

Presentations

Title Expression of HGF, its receptor, activator and activator inhibitors in human cancer cells.
Year 2001
Authors Parr C and Jiang WG.
Title NK4, a HGF/SF antagonist reduces the in vivo growth of human breast cancer.
Year 2001
Authors Martin TA, Parr C, Davies G, Grimshaw D, Jiang WG, Mansel RE.
Title Targeting in vivo breast tumour growth, induced by HGF/SF and HGF producing fibroblasts by retroviral hammerhead ribozymes to HGF/SF and its receptor.
Year 2001
Authors Jiang WG, Grimshaw D, Lane J, Martin TA, Laterra J*, Mansel RE.
Title Tumour invasion and growth in breast cancer model is reduced by NK4, the HGF/SF antagonist
Year 2002
Authors Martin TA, Parr C, Davies G, Mansel RE, Jiang WG.
Title Quantitative analysis of expression of HGF, HGF receptor and inhibitors in breast cancer.
Year 2002
Authors Parr C, Cunnick GH, Mansel RE, Jiang WG.

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