Cancer “Switch” Discovered

April 23rd 2007

Gents, This very interesting article concerning a cancer breakthrough is from the online version of the Brisbane Courier Mail, at:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/health/

A deadly “active ingredient” in almost all human cancers has been mapped by Australian scientists, bringing the world closer to a potentially life-saving treatment.

The breakthrough, published today in the leading international journal Science, will speed up the international research effort to develop anti-cancer drugs that effectively “switch off” tumour growth.

Cancer researchers at the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) have discovered the composition of an enzyme called telomerase, which is overactive in almost 90 per cent of cancers.

The so-called molecular fossil is famed for its Jekyll-and-Hyde-like reputation, making both healthy and cancerous cells immortal so they never die.

The enzyme is internationally regarded as one of the most important triggers in cancer, because the disease clearly relies on it to survive.

Telomerase was believed to contain any mixture of 32 different proteins, but Dr Scott Cohen and his team found that only two are involved.

“We discovered that it was a really simple composition,” said Dr Cohen.

“All these researchers studying it can really focus now and that should boost the productivity of research into new drugs, which is very exciting.”

The team made the finding by growing an industrial quantity of cancer cells to collect enough of the hard-to-find enzyme. They then purified it down and used a $1 million telescope to work out what it contained.

“The next step is to define its shape and if you can do that you can pretty effectively design drugs to very specifically target telomerase, turn it off and stop the cancer growth,” Dr Cohen said.

“It won’t be easy and it will take a while, but at least now we can say it’s possible.”

The researchers say the find is one of the biggest achievements in the telomerase field since the enzyme was first discovered by former Melbourne researcher Elizabeth Blackburn in the 1980s.

Dr Blackburn has won several accolades for his discovery, which centred on the realisation that telomerase helps cells survive when they shouldn’t by replenishing the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres.

International cancer research expert and acting CMRI director Dr Roger Reddel believes the identification ’switches on a light’ for basic cell biology and cancer research.

“This discovery sharpens the focus of these efforts and no doubt will speed up the process of delivering successful treatment,” Dr Reddel said.

Today’s Quote:

“It’s not what happens to me, but how I respond to what happens” (that matters)

From “Quest for Life” by Petrea King, published by Random House Australia