New research at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School shows metastasis and risk of death reduced when limiting function of HMGA2
In cancer, the spread of tumor cells from the primary site to other parts of the body is called metastasis and is a major cause of death, especially in patients with breast cancer. A new study by Kiran Chada, a researcher at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, shows that metastasis in breast cancer and the risk of death are reduced when the function of the gene HMGA2, is limited. This finding, published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), may be used to develop therapeutic treatments for patients.
“Our research has shown that HMGA2 plays a part in regulating the spread of cancer and could be considered a driver of the process,” said Chada, the principal investigator of the study. “Further studies could result in the development of therapeutic treatments for patients with breast cancer which could prevent HMGA2’s function, reduce the spread of cancer and extend a patient’s life.”
According to Chada, only a subset of cancer cells in the primary tumor is potentially metastatic, and these cells are found at the edge of the tumor in a region known as the invasive front. These potentially metastatic cells are distinct in their appearance and molecular profile as compared to the cells in the rest of the tumor.
Chada’s laboratory showed that HMGA2 has the ability to convert normal cells into these potentially metastatic cells in a biological process known as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, the majority of cells which express HMGA2 in human breast cancer tissue were found to be at the invasive front. In additional studies, the researchers showed mice that could not express the HMGA2 gene were found to have a substantially reduced incidence of breast cancer.
Chada, whose study focused on sporadic breast cancer, noted that HMGA2 expression is typical in all metastatic breast cancers.
Chada’s laboratory conducted the research along with the laboratory of Jeanine D’ Armiento at Columbia University. Funding for the study was provided by grants from the Columbia University LAM Center and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
About Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
As one of the nation's leading comprehensive medical schools, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education, research, health care delivery, and the promotion of community health. In cooperation with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the medical school's principal affiliate, they comprise New Jersey's premier academic medical center. In addition, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has 34 other hospital affiliates and ambulatory care sites throughout the region.
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School encompasses 20 basic science and clinical departments, and hosts centers and institutes including The Cardiovascular Institute, the Child Health Institute of New Jersey, the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. The medical school maintains educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels for more than 1,500 students on its campuses in New Brunswick and Piscataway, and provides continuing education courses for health care professionals and community education programs. To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, visit rwjms.rutgers.edu. Find us online at facebook.com/RWJMedicalSchool and twitter.com/RWJMS.