Targeting novel cytokine receptors for anti-cancer activity on human cancers

Researchers at Duke University have discovered novel mRNA isoforms of a cytokine receptor that are expressed in a variety of cancers, including breast and cervical cancer cells. They have created cell lines expressing these abnormal transcripts that could be used to study the function of this receptor further, and serve as a useful tool to produce anti-cancer therapies. In a surprising discovery they also determined that a common drug used to treat radiation and chemotherapy-induced anemia that functions via this receptor, could in fact cause tumor growth and progression, as shown in their studies.