Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a link between Helicobacter pylori infection, inflammation and gastric cancer that could suggest new anti-cancer therapies.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have “turned back the clock” in a mouse model of metaplasia — precancerous stomach lesions — raising hopes that gastric cancer, a worldwide scourge that’s rising in the United States, can be prevented.

Vanderbilt scientists have discovered a new molecular mechanism that promotes stomach cancer development, findings that could provide new opportunities for treatment.

Understanding how zinc and the host’s immune response control H. pylori’s cancer-causing potential could suggest new therapeutic strategies to reduce infection and cancer risk.

A protein kinase linked to inflammation and tumor development may be a good target for gastric cancer therapies.

Molecular characterization of pre-cancerous changes in cells lining the stomach could point to lesions with a greater risk of progression to cancer.