Researchers from Oregon State University (USA) have discovered how to transform cancer’s “accomplice” into a tumor-destroying agent.
According to Medical Xpress, a years-long study by the American scientific team has identified the role of Bcl-2 protein in cancer and how to modify it to benefit patients.
Breast cancer cells – (Graphic: NEW SCIENTIST).
Bcl-2 is a protein that opposes apoptosis, which is the mechanism by which normal cells are programmed to die at some point.
Bcl-2 is produced at high levels by certain types of cancer cells, thereby protecting these diseased cells from the rule of self-destruction, allowing them to persist in the body and resist treatment measures.
Thus, attacking Bcl-2 means stripping away a crucial line of defense for cancer cells.
In a study recently published in the journal Cancer Research Communications, the authors describe how they discovered and tested a new compound that alters the shape of the Bcl-2 molecule.
This alteration reveals what they call the “killer configuration” of Bcl-2, leading to cell death. Therefore, the modified Bcl-2 has turned into a “traitor”, becoming a tumor-destroying agent.
In a second study published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, they describe another method targeting Bcl-2 protein, inducing the death of cultured breast cancer cells and preventing lung metastasis from breast cancer in mice.
The lungs are the most common site for breast cancer metastasis, while the targeted type of cancer in the trials is triple-negative breast cancer.
This “killer” form of breast cancer accounts for 20% of all breast cancer diagnoses, including 15% among those with the worst prognosis. This is a significant figure as breast cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The authors believe these results are very promising because, in addition to breast cancer, Bcl-2 is also elevated in many other types of cancer, including cases of treatment-resistant cancers.
They hope to continue to achieve more favorable results in subsequent research phases, including additional preclinical studies and clinical trials.
