Corinne Bousquet, University of Toulouse, France

In an in vitro study of pancreatic cells, a new mechanism of action for sst2 receptors involving the PI3 kinase (PI3K) pathway has been identified. Complex molecular studies have found that this pathway plays an important role in sst2 receptor mediated tumour cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, which were dependent on 4E-BP1, TSP-1 and MMP-9 expression, respectively. When these cells were exposed to SOM230, PI3K was displaced by FLNa, resulting in PI3K inactivation and subsequent  inhibition of tumour cell proliferation and growth.