A new role for peroxidasin in modulating the invasive potential of cancer cells

Status: In-progress
Year: 2022
Funded: $110,000
Grant Type: Major Project Grant
Tags:
Cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of death and disability in New Zealand, as it is worldwide. Nine out of 10 cancer deaths are a result of cancer cell invasion and metastasis. The complex process of invasion is not entirely understood and new strategies to reduce cancer cell invasion are needed to improve cancer outcomes. Peroxidasin, an enzyme that produces highly reactive oxidising species, was shown to promote tumour progression in several types of cancer including melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate and brain cancer. High peroxidasin levels correlate with increased cancer cell invasion and poor patient survival. Our work has shown that peroxidasin is highly elevated in invasive metastatic melanoma and invasive breast cancer cells compared to cells with low invasiveness. Moreover, we have discovered that inhibition of peroxidasin activity reduces invasion in these cells. This finding confirms peroxidasin as a target for novel treatments. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of how peroxidasin promotes invasion are not known. We aim to identify how peroxidasin activity promotes cancer cell invasion and how this knowledge can be used for innovative therapeutic approaches to reduce invasion.

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Researcher // Dr Martina Paumann-Page – University of Otago

Dr Paumann-Page is interested in how reactions of mammalian peroxidases are involved in health and disease. The main focus of her research is to investigate what role human peroxidasin plays in invasive metastatic melanoma and fibrosis.

More About Dr Martina Paumann-Page

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