Discovery of new probe has broader implications
Discovery of new probe has broader implications
The most exciting aspect to the discovery of a new probe at The University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA's) Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center might not be the potential of the probe itself for monitoring immune system function and treatment response, but rather the model scientists have put in place that could lead them to the discovery of many more valuable probes.
"That is probably the most important implication of this research — that we have established what you can call a discovery pathway," explains Caius Radu, MD, an assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at Jonsson Cancer Center and the lead author of the study, first reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.1 "There is nothing special about what we have tried to image," Radu says. "The same procedure can be applied to other types of biological processes."
The new probe, FAC (fluoroarabinofuranosyl cytosine), is based on the DNA Salavage Pathway, a fundamental biochemical pathway that assists DNA replication and repair. It is used by all cells to one degree or another, according to researchers, but in the cells of the immune system, the pathway is activated at high levels.
However, Radu emphasizes that because the probe does not require modified cells, it is easier and less expensive to use than other existing probes, and it has far broader applications. Radu hopes to eventually monitor the immune system not just with FAC, but with other new probes as well.
Reference
- Radu C, Shu C, Nair-Gill E, et al. Moledular imaging of lymphoid organs and immune activation by positron emission tomography with a new-labeled 2'-deoxycytidine analog. Nature Medicine 2008; 14:783-788.
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