Scientists from the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw have discovered cellular processes that are a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of cancer and COVID-19.
The research was conducted by Dr. Daria Zdżalik-Bielecka in the group of Prof. Marta Miączyńska – director of IIMCB and head of the Cell Biology Laboratory – with the support of Agata Poświata, PhD student and graduate student Kamila Kozik and in cooperation with researchers from the Oslo University Hospital and the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Scientists have discovered cellular processes regulated by AXL – a receptor tyrosine kinase whose activation is associated with failures in cancer therapies such as metastasis and drug resistance. In addition, many studies suggest that AXL is involved in cell entry of viruses such as Zika and SARS-CoV-2, making it a promising therapeutic target for adjunctive COVID-19 therapy.
Full details of the discovery were published in an article (https://www.pnas.org/content/118/28/e2024596118) in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).
