Therapeutics: Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1; YAP)

Cell culture, mouse and patient sample studies suggest inhibiting YAP1 could help treat prostate cancer. Prostate tissue levels of YAP1 were higher in prostate cancer patients than in healthy controls. In a human prostate cancer cell line, shRNA targeting YAP1 or Visudyne verteporfin, which inhibits YAP1, decreased growth and invasiveness compared with scrambled shRNA or vehicle, respectively. In a mouse xenograft model of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), shRNA knockdown of YAP1 decreased tumor growth compared with scrambled shRNA. Next steps include evaluating whether Visudyne could be used clinically to treat advanced prostate cancer...