Chemotherapy to Target Ras-Induced Interleukin 6

Cancer researchers have demonstrated the link between the overexpressed ras gene, which has been implicated in nearly a third of all human tumors, and its product interleukin 6 (IL6) and suggest that IL6 is a good target for chemotherapy.

Investigators at Duke University (Durham, NC, USA) worked with both cancer cells growing in tissue culture and with tumors implanted in mice. They found that ras induced the secretion of cytokine IL6 in different cell types, and that knockdown of IL6, genetic ablation of the IL6 gene, or treatment with a neutralizing IL6 antibody retarded ras-driven tumorigenesis. Inhibition of IL6 impinged on the ability of the tumor to generate new blood vessels. These findings were published in the July 15, 2007, issue of the journal Genes & Development.

"Since it has been so difficult to target the ras gene itself with drugs, we tried to determine if something that ras activates could be a possible target for a drug or therapy,” said senior author Dr.Christopher Counter, associate professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at Duke University. "We found a specific target that could be susceptible to drugs, and if these findings are proven true in human trials, we could have a new way of treating ras-dependent cancers.”


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