Manhattan, NY (Vocus/PRWeb) April 28, 2008 -- Scientists at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville TN have identified a structurally unique protein in dental and other epithelial cancers termed ODAM (Odontogentic Ameloblast associated protein) -- a finding of potential diagnostic and therapeutic impact. The study is published in the May/June issue of Molecular Medicine.
This discovery emanated from the findings of Alan Solomon, MD, and his colleagues at the University of Tennessee, who found that amyloid associated with a rare dental tumor was composed of ODAM fragments. This was the first evidence for expression of this unusual protein. Subsequently, Dr. Solomon's team made antibodies to ODAM (as well as recombinant ODAM), and serendipitously found this molecule expressed not only in dental tumors but other epithelial cancers, including breast, gastrointestinal and lung. Notably, patients with these malignancies were also found to have significant titers of anti-ODAM antibodies in their blood.
"This suggests some type of immune reaction against the tumor and that ODAM may be an important target for cancer therapy," said Daniel Kestler, PhD, a lead researcher in this study. "Our current efforts are directed toward delineating why ODAM is expressed in these cancers, as well as the function of this protein, its role in tumorogenesis and, especially, if it can serve as a novel tumor biomarker." Dr. Kessler and his colleagues believe that ODAM will prove important in the initiation and growth of epithelial cancers and the anti-ODAM immune response may have prognostic significance.
A few of the other papers in the May-June 2008 issue include work by: Dr. Hye-Soon Lee, from the Hanyang University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, who found new locations on chromosomes which may increase a person's risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Linda Yu, from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, investigated uterine tumors and found targets which may be useful as anti-tumor drug targets, thereby avoiding invasive surgery. Dr. Taka-aki Nakada from the Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan used a blood filtering method, similar to dialysis, to remove harmful molecules in the blood, which may be an effective treatment for septic shock. For additional papers as well as targeted review articles on human health, please go to www.molmed.org.
Molecular Medicine is published by The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. For more information on the study visit www.molmed.org or contact Margot Puerta: 516-562-1129 or margot@molmed.org. Podcasts from the latest issue of Molecular Medicine are also available on the journal's web site.
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