Kinase test has potential to combat drug-resistant cancers

A team at the University of North Carolina introduced the first broad-based test for activation of protein kinases, allowing measurement of the mechanism behind drug-resistant cancer and prediction of successful combination therapies. Kinases are proteins expressed in human tissues that are involved in cell growth, particularly in cancer. About 400 out of 518 known human kinases are expressed in cancers but which ones and how many are active in tumors has been difficult to measure. The team has developed a test that can measure the presence and activity of 60-70 percent of all kinases, enabling investigators to see how cancers resist treatment with kinase inhibitors.