Scientists Reveal How Proteins Drive Growth of Multiple Cancer Types
Published:13 Sep.2023 Source:Washington University School of Medicine
Scientists have completed a deep analysis of the proteins driving cancer across multiple tumor types, information that can't be assessed by genome sequencing alone. Understanding how proteins operate in cancer cells raises the prospect of new therapies that block key proteins that drive cancer growth, or therapies that trigger immune responses to abnormal proteins created by cancer cells.
The researchers analyzed about 10 000 proteins involved in 10 different types of cancer. Many of these important cancer-driving proteins are rare in any single cancer and could not have been identified had the tumor types been studied individually. Beyond the function of individual proteins, such data also allow the researchers to understand how proteins interact with one another to fuel cancer growth. Disrupting the interaction may be a promising way to block tumor growth. The studies revealed different ways proteins can be chemically altered to change their function.
The research also shed light on the effectiveness of immunotherapies. Immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors often work best in cancers with a lot of mutations, but even then, they don't work for all patients. Another study identified patterns of DNA methylation, another chemical alteration that can influence the way genes are expressed. Such patterns can be key cancer drivers.