Researchers find marker for Iressa resistance

Researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the identification of epithelial membrane protein 1 ( EMP1) as a biomarker of resistance to Iressa gefitinib from AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN; AZN). In a mouse model of adenocarcinoma, expression of EMP1 was correlated with development of resistance to the drug. An analysis of tumor samples from 39 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received Iressa monotherapy and whose treatment outcomes were known showed a significant relationship between probability of response and expression level of EMP1 (p=0.04). ...