In continuation of my update on Erlotinib..
Dr. Narla's laboratory focuses on the identification and characterization of the genes and pathways involved in cancer metastasis. By studying the functional role of the KLF6 tumor suppressor gene, Dr. Narla and his team have identified new signaling pathways regulated by this gene family thus providing new insight into cancer diagnosis and treatment. The team's research found that KLF6 and FOXO1, both tumor suppressor genes, are turned off as cancer spreads through the body. By using a combination of two existing FDA drugs -Erlotinib (left structure), a targeted cancer drug, and Trifluoperazine (below right structure), a medication used to treat schizophrenia, the team developed an understanding of the properties that turn these critical genes back on, initiating tumor cells to die.
Since first discovering the KLF6 gene 13 years ago as a medical student at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Scott Friedman, Dr. Narla has been involved in the identification and characterization of the KLF6 gene and its role in cancer development and the progression of cancer.
Read details at JCI.....
