The research group led by Professor Maréne Landström at the Department of Medical Biosciences, in collaboration with a team at Uppsala University, has made a unique discovery. The results of their study have been published in an article in eBioMedicine (read the article here).
The Umeå-based researchers have identified a new function in specific proteins within the Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway. This pathway plays a crucial role in the growth and spread of cancer cells.
This discovery could significantly impact cancer treatment by making it easier, faster, and more accurate to identify men at risk of developing aggressive and life-threatening prostate cancer early in the disease course.
“Thanks to this discovery, we can reassure men with prostate cancer who have a promising prognosis. Meanwhile, those with high-risk prostate cancer can receive treatment earlier. Our findings, and their publication, are significant for a large group of patients with prostate cancer. It’s likely that other patient groups will also benefit from this discovery,” says Maréne Landström.
The uniqueness of this finding has led the researchers to apply for a patent through MetaCurUm Biotech AB.
“We are eager to share this news with the medical community as we believe it can greatly benefit cancer patients and healthcare services in general,” adds Maréne Landström, founder and CSO of MetaCurUm.