| Abstract |
We are identifying defects in cell signalling pathways that are related to neuronal diseases. This will help in designing novel or improved chemotherapy drug treatments for cancers such as neuroblastoma disease. We already know that a change in the level of calcium ions within neurones controls their normal function, such as the process of differentiation whereby the cells mature and stop growing. We have also found that, once neuroblastoma cells have differentiated, there is a key alteration in one of the pathways that changes the level of calcium ions in the cells. What we don’t know, however, is exactly what this key alteration is and what controls it. Nor do we know whether the alteration is required for differentiation to occur, or to keep the cells in a differentiated state. By answering these questions we will be able to identify specific proteins in the calcium pathway that could be potential drug targets in the treatment of the disease. It is not only patients with neuroblastoma disease who could benefit from our research. For example, some of the neuroblastoma cells that we use are so-called neuronal stem cells (NSC’s). NSC’s are important in the treatment of neurodegenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Understanding the pathways of how NSC’s differentiate is therefore extremely important in its own right. We will be able to identify whether NSC’s have specific or ‘fingerprint’ calcium ion responses that define how these particular cells differentiate. |