[Source: UA News] – Joyce A. Schroeder, an associate professor in the department of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Arizona, has been awarded a U.S. patent for a first-in-class breast cancer treatment.
PMIP (which stands for Protein Transduction Domain 4, MUC1 Inhibitory Peptide) is designed to block the interaction of two proteins in cells that cause breast cancer to grow and spread. PMIP targets cancer-specific interactions and has shown no toxicity to normal cells in preclinical tests.
MUC1, an oncogene, is overexpressed in more than 90 percent of breast cancer patients, so blocking this molecule’s progression from the initial tumor will keep the cancer from spreading to other parts of the body. The epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, family of proteins makes up a crucial aspect of oncology because it signals not only growth but disregulated growth, or, often, cancer.
For more information: UA Researcher Awarded Patent for Breast Cancer Drug Breakthrough