Investigational Treatment for Deadly Bladder Cancer, Developed Using New Research Model, by Columbia University Medical Center Faculty-Led Team

Columbia University Medical Center -- NEW YORK (March 12, 2009) – A team of researchers, led by Columbia University Medical Center faculty, has identified a new investigational therapy for the treatment of bladder cancer. The discovery was made using a new research model, using mice, which replicates many aspects of human bladder cancer. The model also enabled the researchers to demonstrate that two major tumor suppressor genes, p53 and PTEN, are inactivated in invasive bladder cancer. The findings and this new model are described in a paper in the March 15, 2009 issue of Genes & Development.