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Maligant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a neoplastic disease which arises in the pleura and relentlessly grows into adjacent structures eventually resulting in the patient's death. It is thought to be caused by asbestos exposure but the biology and pathogenesis of this tumor are poorly understood. It is a rapidly lethal disease to which there are few effective therapeutic options except in very early cases.
The laboratories current effort is in identifying tumor supressors and oncogenes unique to MPM which may shed light on the biology of the tumor and hopefully will open avenues for better therapeutic interventions. Using a unique resource, a large collection of cryopreserved tissues from patients with MPM, we are setting up subtraction cloning of such mesothelioma specific genes. It is hoped to identify relevant known genes and possibly some new ones that will help elucidate the pathogenesis of this malignancy.
Since completing his clinical fellowship in 1990, Dr. Mentzer has established a laboratory at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to investigate the microvascular adhesion events in lung transplantation. His initial work has focussed on the development of a surgical model that combines the experimental advantages of large animal physiology with the study of cellular events on the molecular level. Dr. Mentzer chose the sheep model because it is an excellent surgical model with chest and lymphatic anatomy ideally suited for a variety of physiological studies. The disadvantage of the sheep model is the paucity of molecular reagents available. Dr. Mentzer has devoted three years to the development of cell biology tools and molecular reagents to apply to the sheep model. To date, Dr. Mentzer has developed, cloned, and characterized more than 600 monoclonal antibodies to cellular components of the sheep lung. In addition, his laboratory has developed novel techniques of isolating and characterizing microvascular endothelium for the study of the lymphocyte-endothelial cell interaction.
Dr. Mentzer has outlined four major objectives of his research:
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Division of Thoracic Surgery
Brigham and Women's Hospital
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Boston, MA 02115
Phone: (617) 732-6824