Barrett’s esophagus, the first step in progression to esophageal adenocarcinoma, arises when chronic acid reflux causes the normal lining of the gullet to be replaced by aberrant epithelium resembling that of the lower gut. Menke et al. show that the Notch signaling pathway, normally silent in the esophageal lining, is highly activated in Barrett’s biopsies and, when inhibited in a rat model, can halt proliferation of abnormal cells. These data suggest that anti-Notch therapeutics may have a role in the treatment of Barrett’s.
2010
