Northumbria scientists working to halt breast cancer spread

Scientists at Northumbria University are working towards understanding how breast cancer spreads, thanks to a research grant worth almost £20,000 from Breast Cancer Campaign. 

Currently when cancer spreads from the breast to other parts of the body it can be treated but not cured. However, researchers have discovered that breast cancer cells which spread do not produce a protein called maspin. Maspin is a tumor suppressor, or anti-oncogene, that protects a cell from one step on the path to cancer. When this gene is mutated to cause a loss or reduction in its function, the cell can progress to cancer, usually in combination with other genetic changes.

Dr Rosemary Bass, a senior lecturer in biomedical sciences at Northumbria’s School of Life Sciences, aims to understand this more fully. "I believe that maspin usually prevents breast cells undergoing a process called EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal-transition) during which their makeup changes and they become able to invade other tissues and evade destruction by the body; key steps in becoming cancerous and spreading," she said.

"In the laboratory we will collect and analyse molecules made by breast cancer cells which do produce maspin, and those that do not. This will allow us to identify which of the key molecules involved in EMT fails to be produced when maspin is present. We can then confirm what effect each of these molecules has on breast cancer cells’ ability to move and spread into other tissues."

Nearly 50,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK - one person every 10 minutes. The disease is the second biggest cause of death from cancer for women in the UK, after lung cancer, with just over 12,000 people dying from breast cancer every year.

Breast Cancer Campaign’s mission is to beat breast cancer by funding innovative world-class research to understand how breast cancer develops, leading to improved diagnosis, treatment, prevention and cure.

Dr Lisa Wilde, Director of Research, Breast Cancer Campaign said: "Too many people still die from breast cancer, mainly as a result of it spreading to other parts of the body. Dr Bass’ innovative project will provide vital clues about the maspin molecule that could help the development of new drugs to stop the disease in its tracks."

Provided by Northumbria University