About Opportunity:

A role for an orphan receptor in metastatic breast cancer has recently been discovered by researchers at the University of Aberdeen. The expression level of this receptor may be correlated with the invasiveness and metastatic potential of breast cancer cells, and over-expression of the receptor increases the invasiveness of tumour cells. The receptor may provide a biomarker for determining the likelihood of metastasis of breast cancers.

In a highly informative model for rate of metastasis, agonists of the receptor either act as chemotactic factors or stimulate migration of human breast cancer cell lines, whereas antagonists inhibit migration of these cells towards a chemo-attractant. The receptor is therefore a potential target for therapies aimed at preventing metastasis. A screening assay is being developed for functional antagonists of the receptor.