Researchers hunting for a cure for cancer have made a groundbreaking discovery that could turn some cancer cells into ‘normal’ cells.
Cancer occurs in the body when the DNA of a cell mutates, causing the cell to grow uncontrollably and essentially turning it from a normal cell into a cancerous one.
The mutations can occur because they have been inherited, damaged (for example, from sun exposure), or they can develop over time through age.
Being able to revert a cell from a cancerous one back to something that resembles normal is a hugely significant development, not only because it presents a new way of treating certain cancers, but because it could also reduce the nasty side effects associated with some commonly used cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
This is because the cell is being reverted back to a normal-like state, rather than destroyed altogether.
The research was conducted by professor Kwang-Hyun Cho, from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
Along with his research team, professor Kwang-Hyun Cho used a digital model of normal cell development, where they were able to convert colon cancer cells into a normal-like state.
During the study, the team observed the oncogenesis process in which normal cells transform into cancer cells. After building a ‘digital twin’ of the gene network, they found that molecules known as ‘master regulators’ – also referred to as MYB, HDAC2, and FOXA2 – induced differentiation.
The study, published in Advanced Science, explains: “MYB, HDAC2, and FOXA2 are identified as the master regulators whose inhibition induces enterocyte differentiation.
“It is found that simultaneous knockdown of these master regulators can revert colorectal cancer cells into normal-like enterocytes by synergistically inducing differentiation and suppressing malignancy.”
The results of the digital research were then confirmed via experiments on mice found to have cancerous tumours.
Of the discovery, professor Kwang-Hyun Cho said “The fact that cancer cells can be converted back to normal cells is an astonishing phenomenon.
“This study proves that such reversion can be systematically induced.
“This research introduces the novel concept of reversible cancer therapy by reverting cancer cells to normal cells. It also develops foundational technology for identifying targets for cancer reversion through the systematic analysis of normal cell differentiation trajectories.”
The study has presented groundbreaking possibilities that reversible cancer therapy could be used in different types of cancer treatment.
