Establishing the utility and molecular mechanisms of integrin alphav beta6-directed human-antibody therapy of cancer

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The ability of cancers to invade requires that they have certain specialised molecules on their surface and it is this invasive ability that allows cancers to spread around the body and ultimately kill people. We have identified a new invasion-promoting molecule called alphav beta6. It is on the surface of many different types of cancer and our analysis of cancer tissues taken from patients who have died from the disease, show that the presence of alphav beta6 on cancers can significantly shorten life-expectancy. We believe by preventing alphav beta6 from working we can slow down or even stop cancers from invading and, therefore, from killing people so quickly. In this proposal, using our specialised experimental systems, we will test the ability of antibodies, designed to stop alphav beta6 from working properly, to actually prevent the growth and invasion of cancers. We expect that our studies will allow us to treat cancer patients with these antibodies in the near future. Our study will also investigate how the alphav beta6 actually changes the behaviour of cancers to enable them to invade. This information will allow us to create even better therapies for cancer in the future.