Designing and Utilizing a c-Rel Specific Bioassay in Drug Repurposing Screen for HNSCC

    Kristin A. Altwegg, Kathryn E. King, Dvir Blivis, Thomas G. Voss, N.J. Martinez, Mark J. Henderson, Wendy C. Weinberg
    TLDR A new test helps find drugs to treat head and neck cancer by targeting c-Rel.
    Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are increasingly prevalent, with significant genetic mutations such as CDKN2A and TP53. The study focuses on the role of ΔNp63α in HNSCC, which overexpresses in most tumors and interacts with c-Rel, a nuclear factor-κB family member, to inhibit p21WAF1 transcription, affecting cell growth regulation. The researchers developed a high throughput screening bioassay to identify compounds that inhibit c-Rel translocation, using TNFα to model c-Rel activation in vitro. This assay, employing immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy, is screening compounds for potential repurposing to treat HNSCCs.
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