This news item is about: New work on an inflammation-associated enzyme linked to cancer development shows overproduction of this protein can lead to squamous cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. This finding, published online September 11 in the journal Cancer Research, provides the first genetic link between the activity of the enzyme, called PAD2, and cancer progression and provides important supporting evidence for further studies aimed at using PAD2 inhibitors to block carcinoma progression in humans, said the researchers. Lead author Scott Coonrod, the Judy Wilpon Associate Professor of Cancer Biology at the Baker Institute for Animal Health in Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has studied links between PAD2 and other PAD (peptidylarginine deiminase) enzymes and cancer for some time.