Grant: Operating Grant

Current therapies for controlling cancer growth in lungs are limited in effectiveness, and additional approaches are needed particularly for lung cancer and its high mortality rate. This work will be exploring mechanisms whereby growth of tumours in lungs is increased due to changes in the non-tumour cells (phagocytic cells, structural cells) that are near and embedded in the tumours. The study involves a hormone-like molecule called Oncostatin M, which can be elevated in lung inflammation and is found in lung cancers. The project will study the effects of targeting the cell receptor for Oncostatin M, which is necessary for its function, in regulating the tumour-promoting activity of these non-tumour cells. The Oncostatin M/Oncostatin M receptor system may provide a novel target for treating growth and progression of cancer in lungs.