CANCER MODELS: Systems for Identifying New Drugs Are Often Faulty

摘要: Screening potential anticancer agents to find ones promising enough make human clinical trials worthwhile has not been as straightforward researchers would like. Not only have very few of the drugs that showed activity in animals carrying transplanted tumors--known xenografts--made it into clinic, but a recent study conducted at National Cancer Institute suggests tests are also missing do work humans, possibly because and humans handle exactly same way. And attempts use cells culture don9t seem be faring any better, partly cell provides no information about whether drug will tumor site. To create better models cancer development investigators now drawing on knowledge cancer-related gene mutations genetically alter mice so they carry kinds changes lead humans. The hope is develop tumors behave way do.