Overview

• The probe, named Illusia, enables real-time visualization of intracellular signals that guide cancer cell movement.
• Researchers at the University of Turku led by Professor Johanna Ivaska and Dr. James Conway published the findings in Nature Cell Biology.
• Experiments using Illusia identified the protein phosphatase Shp2 as a central regulator of metastatic invasion.
• Data indicate that drugs already in clinical trials for other tumor types may also hinder breast cancer cell migration.
• The team is now investigating therapeutic strategies to block cell migration in breast and other solid tumors.