Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a new method for treating types of malignant tumors that are difficult to treat, such as retinoblastoma or eye cancer. The created drug blocks a protein that promotes the growth and spread of cancer. The article was published in the journal Cancer Cell.
The development of retinoblastoma is associated with a mutation in the Gαq gene encoding the ARF6 protein. This compound plays a role in the propagation of biochemical signals that provoke tumor growth. Scientists have found a way to neutralize the Gαq mutation, which has long been a difficult target for cancer drugs.
In healthy cells, ARF6 transmits signals to regulate the movement of vesicles within the cell - the vesicles that contain nutrients. In addition, the protein plays a role in the remodeling of the cell membrane and actin, another protein that forms the cytoskeleton of cells. A mutation in the gene that encodes ARF6 alters the protein, causing it to transmit signals that contribute to cancer.
Image: healthcare.utah.edu
Scientists believe that blocking ARF6 functions will help treat not only retinoblastoma, but also other types of malignant tumors, such as skin, breast, brain, or kidney cancer. Testing the developed drug on laboratory mice, prone to developing eye cancer, showed that the treatment prevents the appearance of tumors in animals in six cases out of 11. Those malignant tumors that did develop were significantly less than in control mice.
Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the retina of the eye that develops most often in childhood and is transmitted genetically in most cases.