Master Regulator in Cancer Metastasis

(University of Basel, June 11, 2013)

Cancer metastatis is the process of cancer cells moving from the primary tumor to other organs in the body, and is one of the leading causes of cancer death. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is central to metastatis, and researchers at the University of Basel, working with the Friedrich Miescher Institute, have discovered a master regulator that activates EMT. The transcription factor Sox4 sets off a chain of events that leads to EMT. Medications to inhibit Sox4 are being developed, but still need to undergo clinical trials.