In looking for new ways to fight breast cancer, scientists from Duke-NUS have unmasked a protein, generally associated with cancer growth, as a tumour suppressor in the most common form of breast cancer, oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
The unexpected finding counters long-held views that the protein, known as Gα13, acts as an accelerator of cancer cell growth.
This latest discovery, published in Breast Cancer Research, is the first study to identify Gα13 as a tumour suppressor in solid tumours, opening the doors for new personalised approaches to breast cancer treatment.