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Medullary Thyroid Cancer Cell
Image: UT Southwestern Medical Center
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Researchers have identified a specific protein
that may be responsible for the development of different types of
cancers, including a deadly type of thyroid cancer. UT Southwestern
researchers discovered that when the protein Cdk5 is over-expressed in
certain cells that secrete hormones, medullary thyroid
cancer cells tend to develop. The thyroid is an endocrine
gland that regulates various bodily processes including heart rate,
body temperature, and metabolism. Medullary thyroid cancer is a form of
thyroid cancer that is rare and incurable.
According to researcher Dr. James Bibb, "This research is ongoing,
and we are now identifying precisely how Cdk5 causes the growth and
spread of these forms of cancer with the goal of discovering new drugs."
Cdk5 was previously thought to only exist in the brain.
This study revealed that Cdk5 can also be found in specific cells of
the thyroid called C cells and that the protein can cause cancer. The
researchers are hopeful that this information will lead to new
treatments for various forms of endocrine cancers.
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