The Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Receptor: A means of targeting epithelial cancers in man for diagnosis and treatment

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Professor Ian Hart, Institute of Cancer, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
• Wednesday 24 November 2010, 16:30-17:30
• Lecture Theatre 1, Department of Veterinary Medicine.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Suzy Blows.

The integrin αvβ6 usually is not detected in normal tissue but is upregulated on epithelial cells during tissue remodelling events such as wound-healing, inflammation and, most particularly, cancer. Indeed at least 85-90% of oral and skin squamous cell carcinomas, 35% of breast and 40% of lung cancers express significant levels of αvβ6 at the tumour cell surface. In an analysis of over 2000 cases of breast cancer, using immunohistochemistry of tissue microarrays, we have shown that αvβ6 expression identifies a novel sub-group of patients with poor prognosis. Such a pattern of behaviour is consistent with our experimental evidence showing that αvβ6 promotes cell migration and invasion, often through protease-mediated matrix modelling (via MMP -9 activity, for example) and the activation of TGF β. Because of these tumour-associated activities we have considered this integrin represents a potential target for imaging and therapy. We have generated 20-mer peptides (based on the FMD virus since αvβ6 is the known receptor for this pathogen) which bind αvβ6 but not other αv-containing integrins. Using Indium-III labelled peptide and NanoSPECT/CT imaging of tumour-bearing mice we have imaged αvβ6–expressing tumours specifically. Our data have shown that this integrin heterodimer plays an important role in determining tumour progression and because of its cell surface localisation, it represents a potential target for the development of novel therapeutic agents, some of which are based on the known sequence of the FMD virus.

This talk is part of the Departmental Seminar Programme, Department of Veterinary Medicine series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All Talks (aka the CURE list)
• Cambridge Immunology
• Cambridge Infectious Disease
• Cambridge Infectious Diseases
• Departmental Seminar Programme, Department of Veterinary Medicine
• Lecture Theatre 1, Department of Veterinary Medicine
• Vet School Seminars

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.