A new approach to cancer treatment is blocking the interaction between cells

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and the University of New York, working under the leadership of Bogdan Oleinik (Bogdan Olenyuk) and Paramjit Arora (Paramjit Arora), have developed a new approach to cancer treatment, which consists in blocking tumor-stimulating "negotiations" between malignant cells.

Traditionally, compounds acting directly on cancer cells are considered as antitumor agents. In contrast, a new synthetic molecule, called HBS 1, blocks the signaling mechanism triggered by hypoxia characteristic of tumors, the result of which is the interaction between two proteins that causes the activation of genes stimulating tumor progression. The mechanism of action of HBS 1 consists in the strong binding of the molecule to the complex of a certain transcription factor. The authors note that the value of this achievement is due to the fact that in biophysical experiments, the target transcription complex practically did not respond to influences.

Testing the effectiveness of HBS 1 in mice with implanted human kidney cancer cells demonstrated pronounced suppression of tumor growth. In the near future, the developers plan to test the effectiveness of the experimental drug on various tumor models and subsequently use the data obtained when planning clinical trials.

Article by Swati Kushala et al. Protein domain mimetics as in vivo modulators of hypoxia-inducible factor signaling is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Southern California:
Interrupting cancer cell “conversation”: A new way to put the brakes on cancer.

16.09.2013