One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is genes like MYC (myc proto-oncogene) that continue to support the growth and development of other cancer-causing genes in the body without being affected by any anti-cancer drugs.The gene, called MYC, plays a role in most cancers, but is unfortunately often considered “incurable.” That’s why scientists often refer to MYC as the “Mount Everest” of cancer. In a new study, scientists developed a molecule that effectively clears cancer in mice by cleaving the RNA of this gene.
Cancer’s “Mount Everest”
In fact, the MYC gene plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation, metabolism, and controlled cell death, but this gene is not always beneficial. In fact, this MYC gene is associated with 70 percent of all human cancers, covering a wide variety of disease types. This makes it an attractive target for treatment, but unfortunately it’s not that simple. The associated MYC protein has a strange shape that makes it difficult for drug molecules to attach, causing it to be often considered incurable.But a new study could be a step towards changing that. Researchers at the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, the Max Planck Institute and the University of Münster have developed a way to bypass the elusive protein and turn the gene off by targeting RNA (mRNA) instead. These molecules copy DNA to produce proteins, so interrupting this process may prevent proteins from being made rather than inactivating those already produced.
an innovative approach
The team first designed compounds that bind strongly to the mRNA of the MYC gene, as well as two other cancer-associated RNAs, JUN and microRNA-155. Bonding alone didn’t seem to help much, so the researchers added an extra structure to their molecules. This structure is designed to work like a fishing hook to catch enzymes that recycle RNA, directing them to degrade the bound RNA. And of course the first results looked promising.“We started to see cancer RNAs reduced by 35%, 40%, 50%, or more,” said Matthew Disney, lead author of the study. and it caused the tumors to be cleared.
Of course, it’s still too early for this technique, and the researchers say they still have a “marathon” ahead of them before they reach human clinical trials. While the road is long, hopes are high for future treatments for human cancer and other diseases. Aggressively targeting the MYC gene, which is responsible for the unrestricted proliferation of cancer cells instead of directly, opens the door to creating drugs that can treat incurable diseases.
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