ITK Enzyme – A New Drug Target for Melanoma
ITK Enzyme – A New Drug Target for Melanoma – According to a new study, high levels of the ITK (nterleukin-2 inducible T-cell kinase) were found in melanoma samples, and researchers hope that they can now develop drug treatments that target and block this enzyme.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops in the melanin-producing cells called melocytes. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color. Detected early, melanoma has a 98% survival rate, but once the cancer starts spreading (metastasizing), it becomes deadly, with survival rates dropping to 16%.
Researchers analyzed samples of normal skin tissue, non-cancerous moles, and melanoma, and found higher levels of ITK in primary and metastatic melanoma than in non-cancerous moles. The finding was surprising because ITK is found only in immune cells, and is involved in the development, production and activation of immune cells. Researchers found that in the case of melanoma, ITK was driving the growth of cancerous cells.
Researchers manipulated melanoma cells in the test tube to have lower ITK expression, and found that the cells reproduced more slowly and with less movement. They also found that an experimental inhibitor of the ITK protein’s activity had the same effect on cells and slowed tumor growth in mice with melanoma.
The study was published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
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