PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. medical researchers say they have discovered a new method of controlling cell growth, possibly leading to new targets for cancer treatments.
Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital scientists say they have determined the transcription factor GABP -- a member of a family of crucial gene-regulating proteins -- is required to restart the process of cell division when it stops.
Led by Dr. Alan Rosmarin, an associate professor of medicine and director of clinical oncology for Lifespan, Rhode Island's largest healthcare system, the scientists say the new pathway can be manipulated to control cell growth.
Since cell growth is a fundamental biological process, the research may shed light on everything from miscarriages to muscular dystrophy. The main application, however, is cancer.
"As a scientist and a physician, I am tremendously excited," Rosmarin said. "This discovery not only adds to our basic understanding of cell division, it could lead to better cancer drugs. And they are needed. Cancer touches everyone."
The study appears online in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
