Understanding potential cancer-causing proteins to improve neuroblastoma treatment

Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer that affects around 100 children every year in the UK. Compared to other childhood cancers, children with neuroblastoma have among the worst survival outlook. To develop more effective treatment for these children, scientists first have to understand more about how neuroblastoma develops.

In 2019, Neuroblastoma UK provided a grant of £143,648 to Dr Andrew Stoker and his team at University College London. The team want to investigate how a particular protein that is well known to promote tumours in several cancers including breast, lung and prostate cancer works in neuroblastoma cells.

Meet Dr Stoker and his research team

Dr Stoker tells us more about what motivates him in his role, his research team and how their work has the potential to open up a new area of therapeutic approaches for children with neuroblastoma.

Dr Stoker (middle) with his research team, Dr Tina Karapouliou (left) and Mr Elliott Thompson (right).

Tell us more about your research

My team and I recently examined a group of enzymes called protein tyrosine phosphatases  - or PTPs - in cancer cells in the lab. These proteins help to regulate and control cell growth and cell survival. We found that certain drugs which stop the activity of these proteins are also effective in killing neuroblastoma cells in laboratory conditions. 

We now want to look at the molecular basis for these effects and how they may be used therapeutically in the future. 

What do you hope to learn from your research? 

“[our research...] could potentially open up a new area of therapeutic approaches which may lead to clinical trials for children with neuroblastoma.”

Our studies to date have highlighted a molecular pathway involving a specific protein called hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR). We believe this is part of the PTP signalling machinery and may determine how the cells talk to their environment and to each other.

HMMR and its associated proteins are also well known to promote tumours in several cancers including breast, lung and prostate cancer, among others. Our preliminary data points to HMMR being part of a cancer-causing process in neuroblastoma too.

With this generous funding, we want to understand how the HMMR protein pathways work inside neuroblastoma cells at a molecular and cellular level, and whether they are important drivers of the cancer. If we do confirm this, it could potentially open up a new area of therapeutic approaches which may lead to clinical trials for children with neuroblastoma.

What motivates you in your role?

Ever since my PhD in 1982 I have been involved in cancer research. In fact, cancer research and medicine run through generations in my family and so I have always been driven to understand this disease, generating knowledge that could one day prove therapeutically useful.

Neuroblastoma was a natural choice for me given the neural aspect of this cancer, matching with my other interests in neural development. Of course, I also work alongside Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and find this an inspiration in my research.

How many are you on your team?

There are currently three of us in my team – what we lack in size, we make up for in energy! We also have excellent MSc students who swell the team each year and one of these students produced the initial data for this project.

How can this project make a difference?

Our Christmas fundraising appeal is asking supporters to donate and give children with neuroblastoma a #BrighterFuture. What does a brighter future look like to you?

“ I am convinced that Neuroblastoma UK’s funding makes an enormous difference and will give many more of these children a brighter, wonderful future.”

This cancer is particularly hard to bear for children and their families. Neuroblastoma UK’s funded research plays a pivotal part in improving our knowledge and in laying foundations for novel therapies – I am convinced that Neuroblastoma UK’s funding makes an enormous difference and will give many more of these children a brighter, wonderful future.

Funding research. Saving lives.

At Neuroblastoma UK, we fund leading research to help scientists like Dr Stoker to develop new, effective and kinder treatments for children with neuroblastoma.

But we can only do this with your support. Your gift could help increase children’s chance of survival, but also help them to thrive in the future.

And with more money for cutting-edge research, we could find a cure for neuroblastoma sooner. Please donate today and help fight childhood cancer.