Hippo pathway in mesothelioma

A team of doctors headed by Professor Kieran Harvey at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre are working to decipher the role of the Hippo pathway in mesothelioma. The Hippo pathway is a group of genes that relays messages from the surface of the cell to the nucleus to change the cell’s behaviour and can change and cause cancer. It is present in at least half of all people with mesotheliomas. The researchers hope that this work will help in the search for possible new treatments for mesothelioma patients.

The above two research grants were as a result of increased funding allocated by Cancer Council Victoria into mesothelioma research equating to $700,000, made possible through the late Lyall Watts Mesothelioma Research grants. Mesothelioma remains one of Australia’s deadliest cancers with 726 diagnosed annually and a 5 year-survival rate of 7%. Both projects will be funded for a period of three years.

The media release for this can be found on the Cancer Council Victoria website.