Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. Despite medical advances in recent years, this type of tumor is still responsible for one in eight cancer deaths in men in Austria. An international research team led by MedUni Vienna has investigated a new strategy for developing treatment options that not only slow tumor growth but also stimulate the immune system to fight tumor cells. The results of the study have just been published in the most important journal. Molecular cancer.
The scientific team focused its research on the GP130 signaling pathway, which researchers expect to have great potential in the fight against cancer. The background: The signaling pathway, mediated by the GP130 protein, plays a central role in cellular communication and influences the activity of the transcription factor STAT3, which in turn is associated with tumor development and spread. Consequently, blocking the GP130 signaling pathway is currently considered a great hope in cancer medicine. However, the current study demonstrates the opposite: tumor growth can be slowed not by inhibiting but by activating the GP130 signaling pathway in prostate cells.
New hope, especially for aggressive tumors
To achieve these new findings, the researchers studied genetically modified mice in which GP130 was activated specifically in the prostate. “This allowed us to directly observe the reduction of tumor growth in the cell,” reports Lukas Kenner (Clinical Department of Pathology, MedUni Vienna), who led the study together with Stefan Rose-John (Institute of Biochemistry, University of Kiel). The results were supported by analysis of tissue samples from prostate cancer patients. This showed that high GP130 values correlate with a better survival rate. At the same time, extensive molecular analyzes were carried out, including gene expression profiling.
“Our research provides exciting new evidence that activating GP130 in prostate cells not only slows tumor growth, but also stimulates the immune system to actively fight cancer cells,” says Lukas Kenner, summarizing the importance of the results, which will now be published. confirmed in subsequent studies. The research work opens up a promising new therapeutic option, especially for aggressive prostate cancer, which is still difficult to treat.