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Assistant Professor of Cell,
Molecular and Developmental Biology
College of Letters and Science
Arispe's laboratory hums with a question that may be the most critical
yet in the field of cancer research: What makes blood vessels grow?
Which genes turn them on and turn them off -- in fetal development,
in wound healing and, especially, in laying down lifelines for tumor
understanding the nuances is going to be key," says Arispe.
in Spain and raised in Argentina and Brazil, Arispe received her
Ph.D. and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cellular molecular
biology at the University of Washington. She was a researcher at
Harvard Medical School until April, when she moved to UCLA to continue
promising research in the molecular underpinnings of tumor growth.
technical term for Arispe's line of research is molecular regulation
of angiogenesis. It is best understood by the root words angio for
"vessel" and genesis, beginnings. Using such research
it appears that Arispe and her team have found a powerful inhibitor
of blood-vessel growth in tumors. A tumor cannot grow without a
robust blood supply; once it is established and flourishing, attacking
it all too often becomes a mission of mass destruction, wiping out
healthy cells in the process.
approach has been to cut off the blood supply by identifying unique
characteristics of the signals given to blood vessels that supply
malignant cells and developing ways to suppress them. In essence,
she interferes with the power supply to a traffic signal poised
to give vessels a green light if they supply tumor cells. Nearby
signals, which give the go-ahead to vessels performing valuable
functions such as wound-healing, are left untouched.
hopes her research can lead to streamlined tactics that will spare
patients the hardships that come with chemotherapy, radiation and
surgery. So far, early results have been encouraging.
are moving very fast," she says. "We're thrilled."
if all goes according to plan, a human clinical trial could begin
in two years.