Evaluation of alpha v beta 6 integrin in cancer and non-cancer tissue.

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Evaluation of alpha v beta 6 integrin in cancer and non-cancer tissue as a potential for targeted cancer therapy

• IRAS ID

  323119

• Contact name

  Adam Frampton

• Contact email

  adam.frampton@surrey.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Surrey

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Integrins are a large family of heterodimeric transmembrane receptors that mediate cell-substratum adhesion. αvβ6 is an epithelial-specific integrin that is a receptor for the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins fibronectin, vitronectin, tenascin and the latency associated peptide (LAP) of TGF-β. Integrin αvβ6 is not expressed in healthy adult epithelia but is upregulated during wound healing and in cancer. αvβ6 has been shown to modulate invasion, inhibit apoptosis, regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and activate TGF-β1. There is increasing evidence, primarily from in vitro studies, that suggest that αvβ6 may actually promote carcinoma progression.
  Avb6 is a potential therapeutic target for a new oncolytic virus (Trocept) and various antibody and antibody-drug conjugates as well as means to stage cancer using PET imaging specific for avb6 expression

  Although there is established data in the literature describing avb6 expression in various cancers, these have been small numbers and often very small subsets and almost exclusively primary tumours. More recently tissue microarray studies have confirmed 80-100% prevalence of expression in many solid cancers, but again they are small sample areas of the whole tumour.
  In order to underpin and give robust justification for taking a new targeted therapy in the clinic it is important to evaluate the map out the expression of avb6 in patients cancers that are experienced in routine practice. In particular we propose to examine the level of expression, the selectivity and location of the expression (is it on the invasive margin or more homogenous in the tumour?) and also to examine the immune microenvironment in tumours with respect to avb6 staining.

• REC name

  London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/PR/0221

• Date of REC Opinion

  27 Mar 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion