Overview
- - Researchers found high levels of nucleophosmin (NPM1) in bowel cancer and some liver cancers linked to faults in the WNT signalling pathway.
- - Laboratory work showed that eliminating NPM1 disrupts cancer cell protein production and triggers a tumour suppressor that halts growth.
- - The team plans to pursue drugs that block NPM1, with development at an early, preclinical stage and no therapies yet in trials.
- - The work forms part of the Cancer Grand Challenges SpecifiCancer initiative co‑funded by Cancer Research UK and the Mark Foundation.
- - The findings come as early‑onset bowel cancer rises in many countries, with faster increases reported in young women in Scotland and England.