A research team of Professor Kim Sung-hak of the Division of Animal Science at CNU and the research team of Professor Samuel Beck of Boston University discovered the role of the MEIS1 gene in influencing cancer cell growth through international collaborative research.

The research team systematically identified the effect of regulating the activity of the MEIS1 gene on the growth of cancer cells using single-cell tranx-scriptome analysis, tumor stem cells, and animal experiments.

As a result of the study, when the expression of a tranx-scription factor called MEIS1 was suppressed, stem cell characteristics and cell division were reduced due to changes in the expression of cell cycle control genes, suggesting that ‘MEIS1’ plays an important role in tumor development.

In addition, in clinical patient samples, the close relationship between the expression of this gene and high malignancy and patient prognosis was verified through bioinformatics analysis.
 
This international collaborative research between CNU and Boston University not only opens up the possibility of developing a new cancer treatment strategy targeting the MEIS1 gene but is also expected to lead to follow-up research on treatments focused on suppressing cancer cell growth.

This study was published in Animal Cells and Systems, an international academic journal in the top 5% of the journal field.