Scientists step closer toward new cancer treatments that may not cause harm to healthy cells
| Aug 7, 2019, 12:51 IST
Researchers may have discovered a way to make new cancer treatments without the side effects that tend to come with it. A new study has identified a protein modification that not only supports proliferation but also the survival of tumour cells.
Cancer patients may suffer from side effects from certain types of treatment for the disease. Some of them include loss of appetite, bleeding, bruising, constipation, delirium, diarrhoea, nausea, sexual issues, bladder issues, anaemia, fatigue, and hair loss.
However, the discovery could be a game-changer. A team of scientists fromOregon State University, the University of Central Florida and New York University stumbled on the protein-modification find while investigating neurofibromatosis type 2,which is a condition also known as NF2.
The team discovered schwannoma cells produce an oxidant and peroxynitrite. This can alter an amino acid called tyrosine in proteins. "To sustain persistent growth, tumour cells change the way they produce energy and building blocks and present a signature metabolic phenotype that differs from that of normal cells," Franco told a news portal.Adding, "We discovered that peroxynitrite, the most powerful oxidant produced by cells, controls the metabolic changes that occur in tumour cells of the nervous system and supports their growth. We believe that there are specific proteins that when they become nitrated acquire a new function they did not have before, and this new function may control tumour growth."
Researchers are extremely excited about the new discovery, which could open doors for better treatment options. "This opens up the exciting possibility of targeting peroxynitrite production exclusively in tumour cells as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumours of the nervous system, with minimal to no side effects on normal tissues," Franco told a news portal. Adding,"We are uncovering a completely new category of targets for the treatment of solid tumours, and not only tumours of the nervous system -- it may have broader implications for the treatment of several cancer types. We can go after proteins that usually aren't modified in normal cells; we can target those modified proteins with inhibitors that don't affect normal cells, hopefully developing a treatment with minimal side effects."
The study's findings were originally in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Cancer patients may suffer from side effects from certain types of treatment for the disease. Some of them include loss of appetite, bleeding, bruising, constipation, delirium, diarrhoea, nausea, sexual issues, bladder issues, anaemia, fatigue, and hair loss.
However, the discovery could be a game-changer. A team of scientists fromOregon State University, the University of Central Florida and New York University stumbled on the protein-modification find while investigating neurofibromatosis type 2,which is a condition also known as NF2.
The team discovered schwannoma cells produce an oxidant and peroxynitrite. This can alter an amino acid called tyrosine in proteins. "To sustain persistent growth, tumour cells change the way they produce energy and building blocks and present a signature metabolic phenotype that differs from that of normal cells," Franco told a news portal.Adding, "We discovered that peroxynitrite, the most powerful oxidant produced by cells, controls the metabolic changes that occur in tumour cells of the nervous system and supports their growth. We believe that there are specific proteins that when they become nitrated acquire a new function they did not have before, and this new function may control tumour growth."
Researchers are extremely excited about the new discovery, which could open doors for better treatment options. "This opens up the exciting possibility of targeting peroxynitrite production exclusively in tumour cells as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of tumours of the nervous system, with minimal to no side effects on normal tissues," Franco told a news portal. Adding,"We are uncovering a completely new category of targets for the treatment of solid tumours, and not only tumours of the nervous system -- it may have broader implications for the treatment of several cancer types. We can go after proteins that usually aren't modified in normal cells; we can target those modified proteins with inhibitors that don't affect normal cells, hopefully developing a treatment with minimal side effects."
The study's findings were originally in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.