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SUMMARY:The Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Receptor: A means of targeting ep
 ithelial cancers in man for diagnosis and treatment - Professor Ian Hart\,
  Institute of Cancer\, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentist
 ry
DTSTART:20101124T163000Z
DTEND:20101124T173000Z
UID:TALK26458@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Suzy Blows
DESCRIPTION:The integrin αvβ6 usually is not detected in normal tissue b
 ut is upregulated on epithelial cells during tissue remodelling events suc
 h as wound-healing\, inflammation and\, most particularly\, cancer.  Indee
 d at least 85-90% of oral and skin squamous cell carcinomas\, 35% of breas
 t and 40% of lung cancers express significant levels of αvβ6 at the tumo
 ur cell surface.  In an analysis of over 2000 cases of breast cancer\, usi
 ng 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 s
 howing that αvβ6 promotes cell migration and invasion\, often through pr
 otease-mediated matrix modelling (via MMP-9 activity\, for example) and th
 e activation of TGFβ.  Because of these tumour-associated activities we h
 ave 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 Na
 noSPECT/CT imaging of tumour-bearing mice we have imaged \nαvβ6–expres
 sing tumours specifically.  Our data have shown that this integrin heterod
 imer plays an important role in determining tumour progression and because
  of its cell surface localisation\, it represents a potential target for t
 he development of novel therapeutic agents\, some of which are based on th
 e known sequence of the FMD virus.\n
LOCATION:Lecture Theatre 1\, Department of Veterinary Medicine
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