p53 Reactivation

We have been studying whether the reactivation of p53 could have therapeutic effect in established tumors using a Cre-Lox based approach. We observed a dramatic response to p53 restoration in nearly all tumors tested to date. Interestingly, the response to the reactivation of p53 differed between tumor types, with lymphomas undergoing apoptosis and sarcomas undergoing cell cycle arrest with features of senescence. This work indicates that the signaling pathways that impinge on p53 remain active in established tumors and provides support for efforts to activate this pathway in human cancer therapy.