CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles have uncovered the mechanism by which an antibody blocks the growth of prostate cancer in animal models, a discovery that could pave the way for development of a new molecularly targeted therapy.
The antibody, called 1G8 and discovered by UCLA scientists, signals the prostate cancer cells to stop growing and die, said Robert E. Reiter, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and professor of urology. The antibody proved effective in several different animal models of prostate cancer, Reiter said, indicating that is could be a potent cancer fighter.
The research appears in the October 15 issue of Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
The 1G8 antibody binds to prostate stem cell antigen, or PSCA, a cell surface protein discovered by Reiter that is found in about 95% of early stage prostate cancers and about 87% of prostate cancers that have spread to the bones. PSCA also is found in bladder and pancreatic cancers, Reiter and his team previously discovered, so a new targeted therapy developed from the antibody may also prove effective in battling those cancers.
"The big question with antibodies has been, How do they work?" said Reiter, senior author of the study. "Do antibodies recruit the immune system to kill the cancer, or do they send a signal that tells the cancer cells to stop growing? This study shows how the antibody works, so we'll know how to apply it in the clinical setting."
The 1G8 antibody has two parts, one that binds with PSCA and one that binds with macrophages, the immune system's killer cells. Reiter and his team fragmented the antibody, separating the part that binds to PSCA and testing it alone in the animal models to see how it affected the prostate cancer cells. Even without engaging an immune response, the antibody blocked the growth of the prostate cancer cells.
"The fragments we created were unable to bind to the immune system, but they retained the same activity the whole antibody showed, so we proved that 1G8 must work by signaling the cancer cells to stop growing and die," Reiter said. "That's important because it provides a lot more information about what PSCA does and how antibodies work. It also suggests that PSCA is a very good target for therapy and that our antibody in particular is extremely active and binds to a region on the cell surface protein that may be an optimal target for a new treatment."
The next step, Reiter said, is to test the 1G8 antibody in human clinical trials, probably in about a year.
Prostate cancer will strike more than 232,000 men in the United States this year alone, killing more than 30,350. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, according to the American Cancer Society. (Advocate.com)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM