Cancer Drugs’ Secrets Discovered

Scientists have discovered why a particular group of cancer drugs are so effective at fighting the disease. Although they have been used for years to treat certain tumors, researchers did not know exactly how they worked.

A team from Dundee University studied the NEDD8 molecule, known to play an important role in turning on p53, a gene which inhibits a cell’s growth.

They found that by blocking NEDD8, cancer drugs were able to switch on p53 causing the death of the cancer cells. Experts believe the discovery could allow the development of drugs to treat more cancers.

NEDD8 works by attaching itself to other proteins – a process called NEDDylation – to alter their properties.

The Dundee team, led by Dr Dimitris Xirodimas, found that NEDDylation stops certain proteins leaving a specialised area of the cell.

Impeding this allows the proteins to move and gives the signal for p53 to be activated, killing the cancer cells.

Dr Dimitris Xirodimas said the team were very excited about the findings. He added: “A pharmaceutical company has recently developed chemicals which block the NEDDylation reaction and these compounds are currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer.

“Our research reinforces the value of this work and opens up avenues for the development of new ways to treat cancer.”

‘Potential therapies’

The findings, being presented by Cancer Research UK’s chief scientist Prof Sir David Lane at the NCRI Cancer Conference in Birmingham later, are published in EMBO Reports.

The study was funded by the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR). The charity’s, scientific advisor, Dr Mark Matfield said: “The significance of this discovery is that it could lead to drugs that would be effective against a wide range of cancers.\

“Over the last decade, many of the new cancer drugs have only been useful for a few, specific cancers.

“What we really need are effective broad range cancer therapies.”

Prof Sir David Lane, Cancer Research UK’s chief scientist said: “p53 is missing or faulty in almost half of all cancers and there are 270,000 new cases of cancer in the UK each year so by understanding potential therapies can switch it on and off is an important part of the search for new potential therapies.” BBC News.