World-First Angiogenesis Reversal Could Help Treat Tumors

Researchers investigating how blood vessel growth keeps tumors alive have made a world-first discovery that could increase the chances of effectively treating life-threatening tumors.

Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR; Perth) associate professor Dr. Ruth Ganss and her team discovered that a gene called RGS5 can reverse angiogenesis--the growth of blood vessels inside the tumor. This finding was published in the April 17, 2008, issue of the journal Nature.

"It's the uncontrolled growth of blood vessels and the formation of abnormal blood vessels inside tumors that ‘feed' them, allowing them to grow and stopping the immune system from wiping out the tumor,” said Dr. Ganss. "What we've shown is that RGS5 is a master gene in angiogenesis and that when it is removed, angiogenesis reverses and the blood vessels in tumors appear more normal. Importantly, this normalization changes the tumor environment in a way that improves immune cell entry, meaning tumors can be destroyed and improving survival rates in laboratory tests.”

Reversing abnormal vessel growth represents a fresh approach to tackling angiogenesis, with most current research focusing on how to block or kill tumor-feeding blood vessels.

"We've long-suspected this research would deliver advances in knowledge about what impacts tumor growth and this publication recognizes the innovation and importance of our work,” said Dr. Ganss. "By understanding what is actually going on in the tumor itself, the ultimate hope is that we'll be able to work on making current therapeutic approaches even more successful and reducing side effects of them.”

Earlier in April 2008, a second article by Dr. Ganss and her team was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation that describes how tumors can be attacked by the immune system with fewer side effects. "This discovery involves targeting tumors with inflammatory substances that change the environment, so immune cells can attack the tumor through blood vessels more effectively and lessen the amount of toxins going elsewhere in the body,” she said.

WAIMR director Prof. Peter Klinken praised Dr. Ganss' team reported that their work was serving to further put WA on the scientific world map. "This breakthrough is one of the most significant discoveries to come out of WAIMR. The potential for this new knowledge to positively impact the lives of cancer patients in the future is very exciting,” he said. "The fact that this breakthrough has come during our 10-year anniversary celebrations is just fantastic.”


Related Links:
Western Australian Institute for Medical Research