FRA-1 in Renal Caner
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into the expression of the transcription factor FRA1 in renal cancer
IRAS ID
157378
Contact name
Cristina Tufarelli
Contact email
Research summary
In the United Kingdom in 2010, 9639 new cases of kidney cancer were diagnosed, 80% of these being classed as Renal Cell Carcinomas (RCC). In the same year, 4062 people in the UK died from kidney cancer. Whilst new chemotherapy drugs are becoming available, there is still much work to be performed to elucidate the abnormal
pathways within the cancer cell which may then become targets for the development of even newer, more effective drugs.
Fos Related Antigen1 (Fra1) is a protein that controls the production of various genes related to the development of cancer, including those that cause the formation of new blood vessels, which is a crucial step in the development of cancers. It has been shown in several cancers (including bladder, colon, breast and thyroid) that Fra1 levels are increased compared with noncancerous tissue. Fra1 has not yet been investigated in RCC, however it is known that RCC have very high levels of new blood vessel formation, and it is hypothesised that Fra1 may have a role in this.
We aim to analyse RCC specimens to see if they produce Fra1 as this will provide further information on mechanisms within the cell that make the cell behave as a cancer cell, and may help to delineate mechanisms which could either be
targeted by new drugs or be used to assess the likelihood of existing drugs working.REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/0227
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion