In the world of cancer research, scientists are always hunting for better ways to fight this terrible disease.
Recently, researchers at the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) found a promising new drug combination that might offer a more effective treatment for colorectal cancer.
Common Drugs and Their Limitations
There’s a group of drugs called Topoisomerases 1 (TOP1) inhibitors that doctors often use for treating colorectal cancer, as well as some other kinds of cancer.
These drugs mess with the DNA in cancer cells, causing them to die.
However, there’s a problem. Over time, cancer cells can become resistant to these drugs.
According to Yilun Sun, a research fellow at CCR, this happens because all cells, including cancer ones, have evolved ways to repair DNA errors.
So, the researchers started looking for other drugs that could target these repair mechanisms, and thus, make TOP1 inhibitors more effective.
Searching for a Solution
Sun and his team, led by Yves Pommier, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Developmental Therapeutics Branch, screened about 2,500 drug combinations. They found that a drug named pevonedistat showed promise.
The Winning Combo
When they gave pevonedistat and a TOP1 inhibitor to mice with human colorectal tumors, the results were significant.
The tumors shrank a lot, and the mice lived longer than those treated with just one of the drugs. They saw similar results with a different TOP1 inhibitor, topotecan, too.
The Magic Behind Pevonedistat
Why does pevonedistat work so well with TOP1 inhibitors? To answer this question, the researchers performed more experiments. They discovered a new DNA repair mechanism, involving a protein named NEDD8.
When TOP1 inhibitors trap enzymes on the DNA, NEDD8 helps remove them. Pevonedistat blocks NEDD8, making it easier for the TOP1 inhibitors to kill cancer cells.
The Bigger Picture
According to Pommier, this discovery isn’t just crucial for cancer treatment research. It’s also important for understanding how cells work in general.
“DNA damage happens accidentally all the time, and it has to be dealt with every day, by every cell,” he explains. “It’s a basic discovery, but it’s potentially very important.”
The Future of Colorectal Cancer Treatment:
What does this mean for the future of colorectal cancer treatment? Well, it’s looking bright. Pevonedistat is already FDA-approved to treat pre-cancerous myelodysplastic syndromes.
In this study, the mice tolerated the combination of pevonedistat and TOP1 inhibitors well, suggesting it could be safe for humans too.
Additionally, researchers think that pevonedistat could potentially be effective against other cancers treated with TOP1 inhibitors.
In conclusion, the discovery of the pevonedistat and TOP1 inhibitor combination opens a new door in the fight against colorectal cancer.
It’s a testament to the importance of ongoing research in improving cancer treatments and bringing hope to millions of patients worldwide.
If you care about colon cancer, please read studies that common high blood pressure drugs may lower colon cancer risk and findings of common vegetables that may help lower your cancer risk.
For more information about nutrition and cancer, please see recent studies about low-carb diet that could increase overall cancer risk and results showing that high vitamin D levels are linked to decreased risk of bladder cancer.
The study was published in Nature Communications.
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