A medical discovery by Melbourne scientists could provide doctors with a new way to fight cancers. Courtesy: Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
A MEDICAL discovery by Melbourne scientists could create a new way to fight cancers.
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers found that cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma rely on a protein called MCL-1 to stay alive.
Researchers say blocking this protein can kill off the cancer cells, making it an ideal target for drugs.
Walter and Eliza Hall’s Dr Gemma Kelly. Picture: Mark Stewart Source: News Limited
Up to 70 per cent of all cancers have high levels of the cancer-causing protein called MYC, which makes the cancer grow and spread.
But cancer cells also rely on the BCL-2 family of proteins for their survival.
Until now it was unclear precisely which BCL-2 family members were sustaining the survival and expansion of the cancer cells.
The new research, published in the journal Genes & Development today, found the culprit was the MCL-1 protein.
"We found that these cancer cells could be killed by disabling MCL-1, which was keeping the cancer cells alive," said Dr Gemma Kelly from WEHI's Molecular Genetics of Cancer division.
The next step is to develop medicines that can do the same job in cancer cells in patients.
Dr Kelly said one of the exciting parts of the discovery was that lymphoma cells were more sensitive to losing the MCL-1 protein than healthy cells.
"Our work suggests that the cancer cells could be killed by these types of agents at levels that would have acceptable effects on the healthy tissues," Dr Kelly said.
"Given that MYC is abnormally expressed in a large number of human cancers, the applications could be wide-reaching."
Prof Strasser said that there were already drugs in development to block other BCL-2 proteins and they were keen to discover if similar medicines could also be used against MCL-1.
The Leukaemia Foundation, which was one of several organisations and governments that provided funding to the research, said almost 12,000 Australians were living with leukaemias, lymphomas and other blood cancers.
The national manager of support services, Anthony Steele, said leukaemia and lymphoma cause more death in Australia than breast or prostate cancer.
He said several types of leukaemia and lymphoma remain incurable due to the cancerous cells' ability to avoid death.
"Research findings like this give people with leukaemia and lymphoma some hope as progress is made in the search for cures," he said.
"Many people with chronic blood cancers will live with their disease for many years and their hope is that new therapies will be developed within their lifetime."
But he said this research was only in the very early stage of development.
"Treatment therapies have not yet been trialled in humans, and this will take several years of phase one, two and three clinical trials before a possible treatment may become available."
Lucie.vandenBerg@news.com.au
No comments:
Post a Comment