A University of 麻豆传媒 Cancer Center study aimed at understanding mesothelioma (a rare, aggressive cancer) in people with inherited BAP1 gene mutations has received a $1-million, five-year All-Star Translational Award from the . The project is led by researchers Michele Carbone and Haining Yang, who previously identified the condition they named “BAP1 Cancer Syndrome.” Individuals born with these mutations may develop multiple cancer types over their lifetime, most commonly mesothelioma.
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Their earlier research, which contributed to a National Cancer Institute surgical clinical trial studying families with the BAP1 mutation over more than 20 years, suggests that tumors arising in some mutation carriers are less invasive and less likely to spread into nearby tissues and organs.
The new project will build on these findings to examine why some BAP1-mutant patients survive longer and identify the biological mechanisms that limit tumor invasion and spread.
“Understanding why some tumors are less invasive opens new possibilities for identifying mechanisms that could guide new therapeutic strategies for mesothelioma,” Carbone said.