Fibroblast Growth Factor 2: An Epithelial Ductal Cell Growth Inhibitor That Drops Out in Breast Cancer.

摘要

We are investigating whether FGF2, a growth factor for many different cell types, merits investigation as a drug development target in a breast cancer therapeutic drug discovery program. We are specifically evaluating whether a dysinhibition model of breast cancer progression can justify setting up drug screening initiative to discover agonists. If not, the better approach would be to identify FGF antagonists. To meet this objective we are measuring the natural onset and progression of cancer in a mouse model of spontaneous mammary tumor development. We tumor growth to that in a new line of mice that are cancer prone but that lack one of the presumed regulators of tumor growth, FGF2. Indeed we show that it is involved in cancer progression.