Most people relate cholesterol to heart health, but it is also a critical component in the growth and spread of brain cancer.
In a new study, researchers found how cholesterol becomes dysregulated in brain cancer cells and showed that the gene responsible for it could be a target for future drugs.
The research was conducted by a team at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The mean survival of patients with the most common and aggressive type of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, is 14 months. The need to find new, effective treatments is urgent.
In the study, the team examined numerous genes, proteins, enzymes and other cellular components that contribute to brain cancer growth.
They found a gene called YTHDF2 as a crucial link in a chain leading to the development and growth of brain cancer.
It works through a process set in motion by another gene with a well-established reputation for driving cancer progression, EGFR. EGFR is frequently overactivated in many aggressive cancers.
These findings are exciting because doctors can potentially target YTHDF2 expression by using YTHDF2 small molecule inhibitors to control glioblastoma tumor growth and spread.
The experiments also showed that we can stop the formation and growth of brain cancer cells by blocking YTHDF2 expression, so it could also be a powerful target for drug development.
Next, the researchers plan to evaluate different drugs and establish their effects in lab and animal models.
They say EGFR inhibition and cholesterol regulation are both promising strategies for brain cancer treatment.
The study is published in Nature Communications. One author of the study is VCU Massey Cancer Center researcher Suyun Huang, Ph.D.
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