Matrix Metalloproteinases As Novel Biomarker s and Potential Therapeutic Targets in Human Cancer

The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family of enzymes is comprised of critically important extracellular matrix remodeling proteases whose activity has been implicated in a number of key normal and pathologic processes. The latter include tumor growth, progression, and metastasis as well as the dysregulated angiogenesis that is associated with these events. As a result, these proteases have come to represent important therapeutic and diagnostic targets for the treatment and detection of human cancers. In this review, we summarize the literature that establishes these enzymes as important clinical targets, discuss the complexity surrounding their choice as such, and chronicle the development strategies and…

• AS
  American Society of Clinical Oncology
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: P01 CA45548, CA45548, R01 CA118764