Alliance to Identify Tumor Suppressor Genes

Identification of new tumor suppressor genes will be the focus of a recently announced research collaboration. These types of genes provide protection against the unrestricted cell proliferation that characterizes cancer growth. Defects in tumor suppressor genes are commonly associated with cancer, and are therefore regarded as highly promising drug targets.

A drug development company, Zetiq Technologies (Rehovot, Israel), and a Swedish research organization, Karolinska Institute (Stockholm), will cooperate in the research effort.

Zetiq Technologies will use its CamaRx technology platform to screen a large number of putative tumor suppressor genes presently being studied at Karolinska Institute. CamaRx is a cell-based screening system that tests cells for a phenotype labeled cancer-associated metabolic atypia (CAMA), which is a collection of basic metabolic traits characteristic of most malignant cells.

This technology can detect phenotypic changes in cells at 100 nanomolar concentrations of applied chemical compounds, allowing detection of exploitable genes within five days. CamaRx is a high-throughput system, able to test up to 10,000 compounds per week, capable of assessing the therapeutic potential of a chemical compound as a non-cytotoxic anti-cancer drug. Target compounds regulate cancer cells' growth, rather than killing them and are better tolerated by patients.

"CamaRx allows us to test whether a tumor suppressor gene functions as expected in living cells,” said Dr. Alexander Tsimanis, head of molecular cell biology at Karolinska Institute. "Due to the unique hereditary traits of tumor suppressor genes, the detection of new candidates in this class is particularly difficult and requires tremendous efforts by alternative method.”




Related Links:
Zetiq Technologies
Karolinska Institute