Synovial sarcoma is a cancer affecting mesenchymal cells in connective tissues. This rare cancer is typically linked to genetic abnormalities or exposure to radiation. Metastatic growth throughout the body can occur primarily through blood circulation. More than 90% of synovial sarcomas show a characteristic t(X;18)(p11;q11) translocation involving the SYT and SSX genes. The resulting SYT-SSX abnormal fusion protein causes misregulation of downstream gene expression, leading to tumor formation.
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology (LCMB), have derived a cell line, A2243, from a patient with human synovial sarcoma. This cell line forms tumors in nude mice. The A2243 cell line has been used to characterize the abnormal karyotype associated with synovial sarcoma. Additionally, the A2243 cell line has been used to discover the gene involved in recurrent chromosomal translocation.
NCI is seeking parties to non-exclusively license the A2243 human synovial sarcoma cell line.