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Lung
cancer is the most common cause of cancer in men and women in the United States.
Lung cancer can be divided into two distinct classes, non-small cell lung
carcinoma (NSCLC) and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). While constitutive
Hedgehog signaling has been demonstrated in SCLC, this class represents only
20% of all lung cancers.
Dartmouth researchers have now found that the Hedgehog
pathway is constitutively active in a subset of NSCLC. Moreover, it has been
found that overexpression of Gli1 leads to
resistance to Hedgehog pathway antagonists. Small molecule inhibitors of the
Hedgehog pathway have also been identified for decreasing proliferation of
tumor cells which is dependent upon the Hedgehog pathway. Therefore, elevated
levels of a component of the Hedgehog pathway can be used in the diagnosis of
NSCLC and Hedgehog pathway components can also serve as targets for the
prevention and treatment of cancers in which tumor cell proliferation is
dependent upon the Hedgehog pathway.
This
technology is claimed in a pending patent application. We are seeking an
industrial partner interested in its commercialization.
(Ref:
J314)
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