Type: Game-Changer

Funded by the Apple Gold Group

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue cancer of childhood.  Because RMS has features of skeletal muscle, we and others have been trying to understand how muscle development pathways inside the tumor cells have gone awry.  This project will study the role of a protein called SFRP3, which although it takes part in normal muscle formation, is co-opted to support RMS tumor formation.  We aim to understand in more detail how SFRP3 works in RMS, and how to block it.  Our goal is to someday use SFRP3 blockade as a therapeutic intervention.