Reactivating dormant metabolic pathways in cancer cells can aid in combating cancer.
An international team of researchers has developed a novel method for treating cancer by leveraging nutrients to reactivate dormant metabolic pathways in cancer cells. The team utilized a widely available amino
“Uncontrolled rapid growth is a key feature that distinguishes cancer cells from normal cells. In cancer cells, some metabolic pathways are over-activated, and others are suppressed, to create the environment necessary for rapid spread,” said Professor Jin.
“While a few metabolism-based drugs for cancer have been developed previously, such as aromatase inhibitors impeding estrogen synthesis in breast cancer and HK2 inhibitors targeting glycolysis in various cancers, these work by suppressing over-activate metabolic pathways,” he said.
“Our research shows for the first time that cancer can be stopped by reactivating metabolic pathways that are dormant. And this can be done using simple nutrients, such as
Melanoma cells are also susceptible to heat stress. The researchers found that by combining tyrosine nanomicelle treatment with near-infrared laser treatment, they were able to eradicate melanoma in mice after six days and it did not reoccur during the study period. The findings suggest a promising a new frontier in the use of nanomedicine for cancer therapy.
Reference: “Nutrient-delivery and metabolism reactivation therapy for melanoma” by Yang Chen, Chaochao Wang, Yelin Wu, Ya Wang, Yun Meng, Fan Wu, Huilin Zhang, Yuen Yee Cheng, Xingwu Jiang, Jieyun Shi, Huiyan Li, Peiran Zhao, Jinfeng Wu, Bin Zheng, Dayong Jin and Wenbo Bu, 11 June 2024, Nature Nanotechnology.
DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01690-6