New method for mapping the protein signals between healthy and diseased cells
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, working in collaboration with researchers at the Proteome Center Tuebingen (PCT), have developed a new method for identifying the cell of origin of intracellular and secreted proteins within multicellular environments. This technological advancement is particularly exciting because it will provide investigators with a new tool for comprehensive mapping of cell-cell communication, which is especially important in all aspects of cancer development, maintenance, and response to therapy. For example, this method could be used to study cell signaling events between normal and malignant cells in order to better understand the molecular mechanisms by which surrounding normal cells alter tumor growth and response to treatment.