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Minnesota Research Center Finds Clues to Cause of Skin Cancer

By Kathryn McConnell  

Medical researchers in Minnesota have pinpointed the cause of sun-induced skin cancer - the interaction of ultraviolet light rays with cells in the outermost layer of the skin. The discovery could lead to the development of a medication to stop the cancer in its tracks.

"The idea is to find an agent that can prevent skin cancers after exposure to the sun," lead researcher Dr. Zigang Dong, professor of cellular and molecular biology and director of the Hormel Institute, said in a press release. The institute, part of the University of Minnesota, is located in Austin.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and skin cancers are the most common forms of the disease in humans. In the United States, cancer is the leading cause of death of people under age 80. Yet many cancer deaths could be prevented by early detection, treatment and cure, according to the institute.

The disease is a process of progressive stages. Although all stages can be targeted, the promotion stage - in which normal cellular controls go off course and the mutated cell multiplies - has the most potential to be reversed, the institute said in its 2007 annual report.

The institute's scientists have discovered several groups of proteins called transcription factors that are vital for many important cell processes, and protein kinases, key regulators of cell function, that are significant factors in cancer development but also targets for cancer prevention and treatment.

Researchers also are working to identify anti-cancer agents less toxic than traditional chemotherapy. These agents could be used alone or with chemotherapy to prevent or treat cancer with fewer adverse side effects, the report said.

With the focus of finding nontoxic agents for cancer prevention and treatment, between 2002 and 2008, the institute tripled its funding from the National Institutes of Health and in 2008 completed an $18.4 million expansion. It nearly doubled its staff, attracting scientists from around the world to this southeastern Minnesota city of 24,000 people, Gail Dennison told America.gov. Dennison is the institute's director of public relations and development.

In August, the Mayo Clinic donated $5 million to help equip the expanded research center.

To accelerate the institute's battle against the deadly disease, computer maker IBM, which has a major product-development site in Rochester, Minnesota, in February initiated a collaboration with the Hormel Institute and the university's Supercomputer Institute. Through the partnership, Hormel has access to an IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer, the world's fastest supercomputer, Dennison said.

The institute is recognized as a leader in identifying foods crucial in cancer development and treatment. Through its discoveries about omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, it was able to link cancer to obesity.

The research center has identified cancer-preventive agents in green tea and black tea, potatoes, broccoli, peanuts, ginger root and rice, and health-enhancing compounds in grapes and red wine. It also is studying drugs and food supplements that may help prevent cancer.

The Hormel Institute was established in 1942 by Jay Hormel, the son of the founder of Austin-based Hormel Foods, George Hormel. It conducts biomedical research in collaboration with biomedical centers located around the world.

More information on the Hormel Institute ( http://www.hi.umn.edu/ ) is available on its Web site.

See also "Major Medical Nonprofit Grew from Response to Minnesota Disaster ( http://www.america.gov/st/foraid-english/2008/August/20080822134119AKllennoCcM0.3512995.html?CP.rss=true )."

Source: U.S. Department of State