• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권12호
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• pp.5947-5954
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• 2012

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model states that cancers are organized in cellular hierarchies, which explains the functional heterogeneity often seen in tumors. Like normal tissue stem cells, CSCs are capable of self-renewal, either by symmetric or asymmetric cell division, and have the exclusive ability to reproduce malignant tumors indefinitely. Current systemic cancer therapies frequently fail to eliminate advanced tumors, which may be due to their inability to effectively target CSC populations. It has been shown that embryonic pathways such as Wnt, Hedgehog, and Notch control self-renewal and cell fate decisions of stem cells and progenitor cells. These are evolutionary conserved pathways, involved in CSC maintenance. Targeting these pathways may be effective in eradicating CSCs and preventing chemotherapy or radiotherapy resistance.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.3561-3568
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• 2012

The calcium sensing receptor (CaSR) is a member of the largest family of cell surface receptors, the G protein-coupled receptors involved in calcium homeostasis. The role of the CaSR in neoplasia appears to be homeostatic; loss of normal CaSR-induced response to extracellular calcium is observed in cancers of the colon and ovary, while increased release of PTHrP is observed in cancers of the breast, prostate and Leydig cells. Currently CaSR can be considered as a molecule that can either promote or prevent tumor growth depending on the type of cancer. Therefore, recognition of the multifaceted role of CaSR in gliomas and other malignant tumors in general is fundamental to elucidating the mechanisms of tumor progression and the development of novel therapeutic agents. Emphasis should be placed on development of drug-targeting methods to modulate CaSR activity in cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권7호
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• pp.4127-4130
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• 2013

MicroRNA-16 (miR-16) has been demonstrated to regulate proliferation and apoptosis in many types of cancers, but its biological function in bladder cancer remains unknown. Here, we found expression of miR-16 to be downregulated in bladder cancer in comparison with the adjacent normal tissues. Enforced expression of miR-16 was able to inhibit cell proliferation in TCHu-1 cells, in line with results for miR-16 antisense oligonucleotides (antisense miR-16). At the molecular level, our results further revealed that cyclin D1 expression was negatively regulated by miR-16. Therefore, the data reported here demonstrate that miR-16 is an important regulator in bladder cancer, which will contribute to better understanding of important mis-regulated miRNAs.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.77-80
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• 2005

Targeting of complex system such as human cells rather than biochemically pure molecules will be a useful approach to massively identify ligands specific for the markers associated with human disease such as cancer and simultaneously discover the specific molecular markers. In this study, we developed in vitro selection method to identify nuclease-resistant nucleic acid ligands called RNA aptamers that are specific for human cancer cells. This method is based on the combination of the cell-based selection and subtractive systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) method. These aptamers will be useful for cancer-specific ligands for proteomic research to identify cancer-specific molecular markers as well as tumor diagnosis and therapy.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제38권8호
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• pp.669-676
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• 2015

Genome instability, primarily caused by faulty DNA repair mechanisms, drives tumorigenesis. Therapeutic interventions that exploit deregulated DNA repair in cancer have made considerable progress by targeting tumor-specific alterations of DNA repair factors, which either induces synthetic lethality or augments the efficacy of conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The study of Fanconianemia (FA), a rare inherited blood disorder and cancer predisposition syndrome, has been instrumental in understanding the extent to which DNA repair defects contribute to tumorigenesis. The FA pathway functions to resolve blocked replication forks in response to DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs), and accumulating knowledge of its activation by the ubiquitin-mediated signaling pathway has provided promising therapeutic opportunities for cancer treatment. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of FA pathway regulation and its potential application for designing tailored therapeutics that take advantage of deregulated DNA ICL repair in cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.3773-3779
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• 2012

Objective: Despite government efforts to increase participation in gastric cancer screening, the rate is still suboptimal in Korea. Therefore, we explored barriers to and predictors of gastric cancer screening participation among a nationally representative sample. Methods: We used the Health Interview Survey sub-dataset derived from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 (KNHANES IV) to evaluate participation in gastric cancer screening and factors associated with attendance in individuals age ${\geq}40$ years. We enrolled 4,464 subjects who completed the questionnaire and were not previously diagnosed with gastric cancer. Four groups of factors were considered potential predictors of gastric cancer screening in a multivariate analysis: sociodemographic, health behavior, psychological and cognitive, and dietary factors. Results: Overall, 41.3% complied with the gastric cancer screening recommendations. Younger age, lower education level, living without a spouse, frequent binge drinker, and current smoker were significantly associated with less participation in gastric cancer screening. Conclusions: To improve participation in gastric cancer screening, more focused interventions should be directed to vulnerable populations, such as groups with low socioeconomic status or unhealthy behavior. In addition, there should be new promotional campaigns and health education to provide information targeting these vulnerable populations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.965-970
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• 2015

Colorectal cancer is one of the most severe subtypes of cancer, and has the highest propensity to manifest as metastatic disease. Because of the lack of knowledge of events that correlate with tumor cell migration and invasion, few therapeutic options are available. The current study aimed to explore the mechanism of colorectal cancer in hope of identifying the ideal target for future treatment. We first discovered the pro-tumor effect of a controversial cell cycle regulator, cylin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3), which is highly expressed in colorectal cancer, and the possible related signaling pathways, by bioinformatics tools. We found that CDKN3 had remarkable effects in suppressing colorectal cancer cell proliferation and migration, inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a colorectal cancer cell line, SW480 cells. Our study, for the first time, provided consistent evidence showing overexpression of cell cycle regulator CDKN3, in colorectal cancer. The in vitro studies in SW480 cells revealed a unique role of CDKN3 in regulating cellular behavior of colorectal cancer cells, and implied the possibility of targeting CDKN3 as a novel treatment for colorectal cancer.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• 제9권3호
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• pp.145-152
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• 1986

Magnetically reponsive gelatin microspheres for the targeting of drugs have been prepared using a water-in-oil emulsion technique with chemical cross-linking of the protein. The manufacturing variables affecting microsphere size, size distribution and surface characteristics have been examined as well as the magnetic responsiveness in vitro. Sesame oil was utilized for non-aqueous phase and magentic gelatin microspheres of different size from 1. 89 to 14.88 $\mu\textrm{m}$ in mean diameter could be obtained with variation of HLB values of non-ionic surfactants. The content of magnetite which uniformly distributed throughout the microspheres was 26.7% (w/w). It was possible to control the localization of magnetic gelatin microspheres at specific sites within capilary models by using external magnetic field of under 5K gauss.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 1992

The use of erythrocyte as drug carrier has been reviewed, Carrier erythrocytes have proven to offer many advantages for delivery of therapeutic agents, especially in the treatment of inherited enzyme deficiency and cancer. Carrier erythrocytes are biodegradable and nonimmunogenic. Encapsulated drugs may be protected from premature degradation, inactivation and excretion. Carrier erythrocytes may be used as a slow-release system. Targeting of encapsulated drugs directly to a site of action is another possibility. Methods for encapsulating drugs into erythrocytes, the fate of carrier erythrocytes in vivo, the strategies of targeting carrier erythrocytes to special organs and in vivo applications of erythrocytes have been discussed. The encapsulation of drugs in erythrocytes has shown attractive possibilites in future use.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제17권3호
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• pp.905-910
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• 2016

Breast cancer is one of the major threats to female health, and its incidence is rapidly increasing in many countries. Currently, breast cancer is treated with surgery, followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or both. However, a substantial proportion of breast cancer patients might have a risk for local relapse that leads to recurrence of their disease and/or metastatic breast cancer. Therefore searching for new and potential strategies for breast cancer treatment remains necessary. Immunotherapy is an attractive and promising approach that can exploit the ability of the immune system to identify and destroy tumors and thus prevent recurrence and metastatic lesions. The most promising and attractive approach of immunotherapeutic research in cancer is the blockade of immune checkpoints. In this review, we discuss the potential of certain inhibitors of immune checkpoints, such as antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death 1 (PD-1) and lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), in breast cancer therapeutics. Immune checkpoint inhibitors may represent future standards of care for breast cancer as monotherapy or combined with standard therapies.