Molecular breakthrough could halt the spread of prostate cancer

Press release issued: 10 November 2014 Scientists believe a new treatment, shown to be effective in mice, could halt the growth of tumours in patients with prostate cancer. Pioneering research, by academics at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), shows that a specific compound can inhibit the activity of a molecule which is key to how tumours form new blood vessels. The vessels are essential for the cancer cells to survive and multiply. The findings, published today [10 November] in the journal Oncogene , show that targeting a molecule called SRPK1 could stop progression of prostate cancer. SRPK1 plays a vital role in 'angiogenesis' - an essential process through which tumours are able to form blood vessels and obtain necessary nutrients to fuel their growth. This process is mainly regulated by VEGF - vascular endothelial growth factor - which can activate or inhibit vessel formation depending on how the gene is controlled by a cellular process called 'alternative splicing'. By analysing samples of human prostate cancer, researchers observed that SRPK1 increases as the cancer gets more aggressive.