Scientists turn cancer cells to normal cells

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic conducted a promising study that stopped cancer cells from multiplying and turned them back to healthy cells.

They found that normal cells are controlled by MicroRNAs that serve as a glue that keeps them from dividing. The amount of MicroRNAs in a cell is controlled by a protein called PLEKHA7.

Cancer cells, however, are missing the protein. The lack of PLEKHA7 and MicroRNAs cause the cancer cells to divide and spread uncontrollably.

“These [cancer] cells are already missing PLEKHA7. Restoring either PLEKHA7 levels, or the levels of miRNAs in these cells turns them back to a benign state,” said Panos Anastasiadis, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus to the Telegraph.

“I think for therapy it is very important because it shows the way we can turn cancerous cells back to a more normal state,” Anastasiadis added.

Cancer experts acknowledge the study, but say it still has a long way to go.

“This important study solves a long-standing biological mystery, but we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves,” said Henry Scowcroft, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager, to the Telegraph.

“There’s a long way to go before we know whether these findings, in cells grown in a laboratory, will help treat people with cancer. But it’s a significant step forward in understanding how certain cells in our body know when to grow, and when to stop,” he added.

“I think in reality it is unlikely that you could reverse tumours by reversing just one mechanism, but it’s a very interesting finding,” concluded Dr. Chris Bakal from the Institute for Cancer Research in London.

Category: Education, Top Story