ICR - The Institute of Cancer Research: Global Foundation

Behavior of all the cells in our bodies is controlled internally by a network of signals, which can involve the dynamic interaction of many molecules. Cancer occurs when faulty genes cause abnormalities in signal networks, which change the way the cell behaves. Phosphorylation, a key chemical process that is driven by a group of catalysts called kinases, underpins these networks.

ICR scientists have now used computer algorithms to map the ‘signalling networks’ of cells. An online atlas of kinases can help develop targeted drugs and improve the predicted outcomes of cancer patients.

The focus of research by Dr. Rune Linding’s Cellular and Molecular Logic team at the ICR, and their international collaborators, is to unravel the complex network of kinases that control phosphorylation. Last year the researchers developed NetPhorest. This problem-solving software uses state-of-theart computation to predict which kinase is associated with a particular phosphorylation process. When combined with genetic data this information has helped determine some relationships in signalling networks and areas of weakness that could become targets for treatment.

Dr. Linding said; "The process can be described as network medicine - we target the weak spots of signalling networks".

Dr. Linding’s team has also identified signalling networks that help determine the outcome of breast cancer. The pattern of signalling activity differs in women who survive from those who eventually die of the disease. The team developed an algorithm with the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto which can predict a woman’s chance of recovery with 80% accuracy.

Dr. Linding said; "The identification of distinct network processes within our body that help predict cancer is a real step forward and we hope that it can help new therapies or screening techniques. The next step is to see if more networks can be identified and what other cancers we might be able to apply this to."