An article released yesterday, March 10, by Cathleen Genova at Cell Press, reveals that scientists have established a mouse model for human malignant mesothelioma (MM).

The article, published in the March issue of Cancer Cell, says the mouse model will help provide insight into the development and progression of MM, as well as indicate new directions for therapeutic strategies. This, Genova reports, “may eventually lead to a substantially improved outlook for patients with this devastating disease.”

Due to the aggressive nature of mesothelioma, and its low survival chances, doctors agree that there is an urgent need for experimental models for its study, she said.

Genova quotes Dr. Anton Berns, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute, whose team discovered the mouse model. “Our mouse models should be suitable to further dissect pathways critically important in mesothelioma development and progression and serve as invaluable tools to test new intervention strategies,” he said.

The full article is available here, at EurekAlert! or visit Cell Press online.

Tags: Cell Press, Dr. Anton Berns, meso, mesothelioma, mouse model, Netherlands Cancer Institute, UAB

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