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Lung cancer is the leading
cause of cancer mortality for men and women in United States. Key molecular
changes, especially at early stages of carcinogenesis, represent potential
pharmacological targets for lung cancer chemoprevention and therapy. Aberrant
expression of cyclin E has been frequently observed
in premalignant lung lesions, indicating that this
is an early step in lung carcinogenesis. Overexpression
of cyclin E also occurs in overt non-small cell
lung cancers (NSCLCs) and has prognostic
significance in NSCLCs.
Dartmouth
researchers have now found that lung-specific overexpression
of cyclin E in epithelial cells promotes
anchorage-independent cell growth, lung hyperplasia, lung adenocarcinoma
and local metastasis. Because lung adenocarcinoma
is a prevalent characteristic of human lung cancer, a transgenic animal overexpressing cyclin E in lung
epithelial cells now provides a clinically relevant model system of human
lung carcinogenesis for the discovery and development of chemopreventive
agents and therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of lung
cancer, including premalignant lung lesions and
overt non-small cell lung cancers.
This technology is claimed in
the published Patent Corporation Treaty Application No.
PCT/US2006/029229. We are seeking an
industrial partner interested in its commercialization. (Ref: J308)
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