Cancer cells: find and neutralize!
Hypoxic cancer cells are found in various solid tumors, including liver, breast, prostate and uterine cancers. For many years, in the process of their formation, solid tumors undergo a lot of cytogenetic or genetic changes, which in some cases leads to the development of resistance to almost all traditional methods of treatment.
In the absence of oxygen, hypoxic cells activate the HIF-1 protein, which alters metabolism in such a way that cells are able to break down carbohydrates for energy in the absence of oxygen. Traditional methods of treatment do not destroy these cells, because, in addition to ensuring independence from oxygen supply, HIF-1 regulates several genes that cause resistance to treatment.
Researchers at the Seoul National University College of Medicine (Seoul National University College of Medicine) have developed a therapeutic system that selectively acts on HIF-1 – "Human NIS Gene Radiotherapy Targeting HIF-1 Activated Cancer Cells", "Gene radiotherapy using human NIS to destroy HIF-1 activated cancer cells". To do this, they created a "reporter gene" that provides expression of the human sodium iodide symporter (HNIs) in tumor cells. This gene simultaneously tracks and destroys cancer cells, increasing the ability of the cell membrane to absorb iodine and its radioactive isotope.
To improve the visualization of cancer cells, researchers have created another reporter gene that triggers the synthesis of a fluorescent protein upon penetration into HIF-1 expressing cancer cells, the localization of which is then recorded using optical imaging techniques. The results of experiments on the introduction of this gene into human liver cancer cells showed that the proposed system not only destroys hypoxic cancer cells, but also allows you to visualize the activation of the HIF-1 expressed by them.
According to the head of the study, Professor June-key Chung, hypoxic cancer cells are a serious problem in the treatment of many cancer patients. The results of the work carried out by the authors indicate that the technique they developed successfully destroys these cells in vitro and over time can expand the capabilities of clinicians to treat resistant forms of cancer.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily
19.06.2008