22 Apr Paradoxical Cell Death Mechanism Accelerates Pancreatic Cancer Growth
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. George Miller
Dr. George Miller, MD
Vice Chair for research, Department of Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Cell Biology
NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Miller: Cancer cell death is the goal of most therapeutic programs. Indeed, chemotherapy induces cancer cell death. We show that a novel form of cancer cell death entailing organized necrosis is a prominent way by which cancer cells die. However, paradoxically this form of cell death termed “necroptosis” actually accelerates pancreatic cancer growth in animals by inducing immune suppressive inflammation.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Miller: Novel agents are needed to block necroptosis in pancreatic cancer. This can potentially enhance the immune system’s ability to fight the cancer.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Miller: Researchers cannot consider all forms of cell death identical. One must discriminate between the different modalities as various forms of cellular demise can differentially affect antitumor immunity.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Dr. Miller: The lead author on this article Lena Seifert is one of the most accomplished young physician scientists in the world. The novel findings are truly a testament to her remarkable skills as a cancer researcher. She obtains leading grants from scientific organizations in both Europe and North America. None of this work would’ve been possible without her grit, determination, and intelligence. She was an inspiration to everyone in her laboratory at NYU.
Citation:
The necrosome promotes pancreatic oncogenesis via CXCL1 and Mincle-induced immune suppression
Lena Seifert, Gregor Werba, Shaun Tiwari,Nancy Ngoc Giao Ly,
Sara Alothman,Dalia Alqunaibit,Antonina Avanzi, Rocky Barilla,Donnele Daley,Stephanie H. Greco,Alejandro Torres-Hernandez,Matthew Pergamo,Atsuo Ochi,Constantinos P. Zambirinis,Mridul Pansari,Mauricio Rendon,Daniel Tippens,Mautin Hundeyin,Vishnu R. Mani,Cristina Hajdu,Dannielle Engle & George Miller
Nature 532,245–249(14 April 2016) doi:10.1038/nature17403 Received 04 May 2015 Accepted 05 February 2016 Published online 06 April 2016
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Last Updated on April 22, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD