Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

All cells have ligands and marker proteins on their cellular membranes. But do cancer cells have any markers specific to them?

Hi Dracojex,

Yes, some of the surface markers are unique (in some way) to certain cancers - this can sometimes be an attractive target for a therapy. The "uniqueness" may be a difference (up or down) in the marker expression level; a difference in how the protein is folded, presented or bound to the membrane, which will affect the ligand binding in some way; or a new protein is expressed in a cell type it is not normally; or other ways.

The best example I can think of at the moment is Herceptin: http://www.herceptin.com/about/