THE WOODLANDS, Texas, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A team of scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, working in collaboration with scientists at Lexicon Genetics Incorporated (Nasdaq: LEXG - news), have reported discovering the function of a gene called Ini-1, a new tumor suppressor gene related to head and neck cancer. The work was reported in scientific journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. Importantly, the team found that reducing the gene's function by one-half results in head and neck tumor formation in genetically engineered knockout mice. The Ini-1 knockout clone was selected based on computer analysis of gene sequences from Lexicon's OmniBank library of 130,000 knockout mouse clones that are used for drug discovery. The work is significant because it established a causal link between the loss of the gene and cancer formation. Previously the Ini-1 gene had been found to be lost in certain human cancers, but a causal link had not been demonstrated.
``Our work allows us to better understand the molecular mechanisms of tumor formation,'' said Dr. Stephen N. Jones, senior author of the study. ``Although much more work is required, the gene knockout approach is accelerating research to find new potential targets for cancer therapeutics.''
Lexicon Genetics Incorporated is a drug discovery company of the post- genome era, using gene knockout technology to define the functions of genes for the discovery of pharmaceutical products. Lexicon is using this technology to fuel drug discovery programs in cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders, neurological disease, diabetes and obesity. Lexicon has established drug discovery alliances and functional genomics collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, research institutes and academic institutions throughout the world to commercialize its technology and further develop its discoveries. Additional information about the Company is available through Lexicon's corporate website, www.lexicon-genetics.com... |
