FREDERICK, Md., Dec. 8, 2009 — The National Cancer Institute and its operations and technical support contractor SAIC-Frederick, Inc. have entered into a research and development collaboration with Mayo Clinic to expand on recent research discoveries at Mayo, where researchers have demonstrated the importance of a key protein involved in pancreatic and lung cancer.
The agreement is part of the National Cancer Institute’s Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative, which aims to speed up the translation of basic research into technologies and treatments for patients with cancer and AIDS.
The collaboration will focus on characterization of SIAH2 (E3 ubiquitin ligase family) reagents, development and validation of in-vitro and in-vivo cancer models, and on the study of SIAH2 as a potential drug target. The R&D will be conducted at NCI-Frederick’s Center for Advanced Preclinical Research (CAPR) by SAIC-Frederick.
Aberrant signaling of components in the mammalian RAS pathway is known to be a principle driving factor in many forms of cancer. Most notably, activating mutations in RAS genes themselves can result in aggressive tumor phenotypes that exhibit rapid proliferation and drug resistance—by finding “work-arounds” through adjacent and downstream signaling pathways. The Mayo team found that through a novel approach of inhibiting the most downstream component (SIAH2) in the RAS signaling pathway, programmed cell death, or apoptosis, increased, and cell proliferation was inhibited. This was true in several cancer types studied. The published findings were well-received by the cancer R&D community.
Many current targeted therapies for cancer do not work in tumors exhibiting K-RAS mutations. Discovering and developing alternative approaches to curb excessive RAS signaling, such as the SIAH2 project described above, have the potential to provide great clinical benefit to cancer patients in the future through improved, targeted, and more durable therapies.
“The impact of SIAH2 ubiquitin ligase on modulating aberrant RAS signaling in several forms of rapidly progressing cancers is intriguing, and opens a promising gateway for therapeutic intervention,” said Serguei Kozlov, Ph.D. of SAIC-Frederick. “We look forward to a close collaboration with our colleagues at the Mayo Clinic.”
About SAIC-Frederick
SAIC-Frederick, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a Fortune 500® company, is the operations and technical support contractor for the National Cancer Institute’s national laboratory in Frederick, Md. SAIC-Frederick maintains a full suite of advanced technologies in areas such as nanotechnology, genomics and imaging; operates the federal government’s drug and vaccine manufacturing facilities; operates the high-performance Advanced Biomedical Computing Center; and supports more than 300 clinical trials for patients in the United States and around the world.
Information about the NCI’s Advanced Technology Partnerships Initiative can be found at ATPIhome.com
