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Characterization of Receptor's Central Role in Cancer is Published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- ChemoCentryx, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing therapeutics that target the chemokine system, today announced the publication of data from a series of rigorous experiments to elucidate CXCR7's essential role in the progression and development of certain cancers. CXCR7 is a novel chemokine receptor whose function was discovered and characterized by ChemoCentryx.
ChemoCentryx scientists, joined by researchers from the University of Michigan and the Iowa State University, found that CXCR7 plays a crucial role in both tumor development and progression by enabling cancer cell survival and promoting the process of angiogenesis (the growth of new blood vessels). Importantly, CXCR7 can be readily detected on many primary human tumor tissue samples (such as breast and lung cancers), but CXCR7 is not expressed by surrounding healthy tissue. Findings from the company's research are presented in an article titled "CXCR7 promotes breast and lung tumor growth in vivo and is expressed on tumor-associated vasculature" in the September 26, 2007 Early Edition and October 2, 2007 print edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
"Our labs were thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate in support of ChemoCentryx's ground-breaking research on CXCR7," said Gary D. Luker, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School. "With broad implications of targeting CXCR7 for cancer treatment, this work exemplifies how great science, done well, may lead directly to the discovery and development of new medicines."
"These data represent a significant scientific finding with potentially
profound clinical
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| SOURCE ChemoCentryx, Inc. Copyright©2007 PR Newswire. All rights reserved |