Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have discovered that the same molecular mechanism that causes cancer cells to multiply also causes cysts to grow in patients with ADPKD, the most common form of Polycystic Kidney Disease. They found that the transcription factor STAT3 is activated by a mutated protein present in ADPKD patients. UCSB researchers are now investigating whether experimental cancer drugs to inhibit STAT3 could one day prove an effective therapy for PKD.
Source:
UCSB Scientists Discover New Drug Target for Kidney Disease, UC Santa Barbara, April 26, 2011