Dr. Lazarides on CRM1 as a Potential Target in Osteosarcoma

Alexander Leandros Lazarides, MD, resident at Duke University Medical Center, discusses CRM1 as a potential target in osteosarcoma.

In an in vitro cell line analysis of osteosarcoma, CRM1 inhibitors were found to be effective in killing cancer cells, says Lazarides. CRM1 is expressed across several different cells and cancer cell types, and higher expression confers a worse prognosis.

CRM1 is an essential nuclear export factor which transports products from the nucleus into the cytoplasm of the cell so that they can be processed into more functional proteins. In an in vivo trial in mice, a CRM1 inhibitor had a high effect on limiting tumor growth compared with controls, further validating CRM1 as a target in osteosarcoma, concludes Lazarides.