Stanford University Researchers Identify Kidney Cancer Killer

Stanford University researchers have discovered a molecule that directly attacks kidney cancer cells that have the VHL tumor-suppressor gene mutated or disabled. VHL deficient genes are present in 85-90% of clear cell carcinoma, the most prevalent type of kidney cancer. The molecule, STF-31, was found by surveying 64,000 small molecules for their ability to kill VHL-deficient cells while not harming normal cells, implying that an STF-31 drug would have low toxicity if used as a therapy. The project was headed up by Amato Giaccia, director of radiation oncology at Stanford, assisted by a team of researchers including Denise Chan, the co-author of the journal paper published on August 3^rd (“Targeting GLUT1 and the Warburg Effect in Renal Cell Carcinoma by Chemical Synthetic Lethality” Denise A. Chan, et al, Sci Transl Med 3, 94ra70 (2011)). ACKC funded both Professor Giaccia and Denise Chan, who has recently set up her own lab in UCSF. See the Stanford University press release, http://tinyurl.com/4x438w2.