Molecular Functions of the Iron-Regulated Metastasis Suppressor Ndrg1 : A novel target for the treatment of cancer

NDRG1 is a molecule that was found to function as a growth and metastasis suppressor in a number of different neoplasms. However, despite the mounting evidence that NDRG1 is able to inhibit tumour progression, the molecular mechanisms that are involved in its anti-tumour activity remain elusive and are important to establish. The data presented within this book demonstrates that the metastasis suppressor, NDRG1, is intricately involved in numerous molecular pathways that govern cell proliferation, migration, adhesion and metastasis. Moreover, the function of NDRG1 was found to be pleiotropic and largely dependent on the genetic background of the cells examined. We have also identified the potential for NDRG1 to be utilized as a molecular target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer using a novel thiosemicarbazone compound that selectively up-regulates this metastasis suppressor in cancer cells.