Cancer is the most costly disease in the world, causing global growth to drop by about 1.5% each year. Danish researchers have discovered a potential new cancer-fighting method that could provide more targeted treatments and improve survival rates.
A team of researchers from the University of Copenhagen, led by Professor Anja Groth, have made a discovery that may well open the way for a revolution in cancer treatment.
In 2008, cancers cost the global economy nearly six trillion crowns, and about 7.6 million people died from these diseases. In 2012, the number of cancer-related deaths reached 8.2 million, according to the World Health Organization.
Anja Groth and a team of researchers recently published an article about her discovery in the prestigious journal Nature. Scientists have identified a mechanism that explains how a particular type of protein repairs DNA damage that occurs during cell division. A distinctive feature of cancer cells is precisely uncontrolled division, which leads to the accumulation of DNA damage.
From research to targeted treatment
It is hoped that the research results will help to develop a targeted treatment regimen, the meaning of which will be to block the action of the protein and thereby destroy cancer cells without harming healthy ones. Anja Groth emphasizes that there is still a long way to go before the goal is achieved, but the discovery is of great importance for the treatment of cancer.
“I believe there are prospects for treating various types of cancer. That's why it's such an exciting topic,”explains Anja Groth.
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In early May, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, director of research at Novo Nordisk, announced that the vast arsenal of diabetes management tools has been largely created by university scientists. They do all the initial work, after which Novo turns the results into a medical bestseller.
Anja Groth believes that her research project, developed in close collaboration with a scientist at the American Center for the Study of Cancer, is an ideal example of how new discoveries are made in basic scientific research without specific commercial goals, when scientists themselves do not know what they will find …
Unexpected discovery
Anja Groth started out trying to understand some of the basic molecular mechanisms and came out of the lab with a result that could save cancer patients in the future.
“It was an unexpected discovery. Previously, there was no information about the links between the "repair" protein and DNA damage. We could not have foreseen this before starting work. But now we have detailed information about which molecular bonds ensure the appearance of this protein at the right time and in the right place. which is absolutely necessary for the correct performance of its functions. In other words, we received critical information about the Achilles heel of cancer cells. In my opinion, when creating innovations, it is always important to remember the importance of basic knowledge. Because you can never say exactly where you will make a discovery. " says Anya Groth.
Like Mads Kroggor Thomsen of Novo Nordisk, she believes government and policymakers must strengthen fundamental science while fostering an enabling environment for job creation in high-tech industries, helping to transform scientific discoveries into new therapies and commercial success stories.
“The government should promote the creation of new start-ups that will ensure the development of an area in which the Danes are indeed very successful. Otherwise, we risk missing out on a number of opportunities,”warns Anja Groth.
Looking for investors
As for her own discovery, Anja Groth and her colleagues have already applied for a patent and received funding to work with the data package, which will be needed to attract investors who do not want to risk.
According to the plan, the discovery of scientists will either be used as the basis for a spin-out company, or sold to a large pharmaceutical company. However, Anya Groth will need a lot more funds to develop the so-called "proof of concept" (proof of concept).
The researcher has already begun looking for interested investors willing to invest in the discovery of a group of scientists. It doesn't matter whether the project is developed in the form of a startup or sold to an international pharmaceutical company, explains Anja Groth.
“For me, the main thing is that the results are practical and ultimately benefit the patients. We discussed different paths and are open to both alternatives,”she says.
Anja Groth and her colleagues are guided by the example of the Danish firm EpiTherapeutics, which was bought last year for 444 million crowns by the American biotech giant Gilead Sciences. EpiTherapeutics also originated from biomedical research at the University of Copenhagen, and its goals were aligned with those of the Anja Groth project, namely to create a permanent link between basic research in oncology and the development of new drugs.
Anya Groth - 41 years old. MSc and PhD from the University of Copenhagen. Postdoctoral fellow at the Danish Society for the Fight Against Cancer (Kræftens Bekæmpelse) and later at the Curie Institute in Paris. In 2008 she returned to Denmark to assemble her own team of scientists at the Center for Biotechnical Research and Innovation at the University of Copenhagen. Conducts research in the field of epigenetics, studies the stability of the genome and the mechanisms of cell division. Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and the Independent Research Council on Health and Disease. Winner of several scientific awards, received prestigious grants, including from the European Research Council. In a civil marriage, has one child. Lives in the commune of Gentofte.