New research aims to stop cancer cells reading their own DNA

In a project sponsored by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Heads of Research Councils (EuroHORCS), Dr Nynke Dekker and her team are trying to stop tumor development by interfering with the molecular motors that copy DNA during cell division. This will cut off the genetic information flow that tumors need to grow, and could complement existing cancer therapies, while in the longer term bringing the promise of improved outcomes with greatly reduced side effects.

The work is aiming towards a new generation of drugs that target cancer cells much more specifically than traditional chemotherapy, avoiding side effects such as temporary hair loss.

Dr Dekker is focusing on an enzyme called topoisomerase IB that plays a key role in some of the molecular motors involved in the processes of DNA and RNA copying during cell division. These are responsible for reading the genetic code and making sure it is encoded correctly in the daughter cell. In healthy cells it is important that this process works normally, but in cancer cells it is a natural target for disruptive therapy.

“Specifically targeting these molecular motors in cancer cells would then prevent the cancer cells from growing into a larger tumor,” stated Dr Dekker.

The long-term goal is to develop more precisely targeted molecular medicines for a variety of diseases involving disruption to normal cellular functions and not just cancer.

According to the project sponsors, the scientists have been able to predict what effect certain antitumor drugs would have on the basis of her molecular insights, confirming her hypotheses in yeast cells. “Indeed the work with antitumor drugs is, as far as I know, the first experiment in which single-molecule experiments have resulted in a prediction for a cellular effect,” said Dr Dekker.