The plasminogen activation cascade system as a potential target for human anti-cancer therapy

Strong experimental and clinical evidence indicates that the urokinase type plasminogen activation system is associated with many types of human cancer invasion and metastasis. A component of this system, which is over-expressed on cancer cell surfaces, urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is a potential marker that may be targeted for anticancer therapy. The naturally occurring inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2), binds specifically to activated cell surface bound uPA. Thus, the overall aim of this project was to assess the viability of using human recombinant PAI-2 as a potential targeting device in future anti-cancer therapy projects.