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news.Researchers at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal have identified a new gene to combat cancer, the inhibition of which can reduce the growth of both colon and lung cancer tumors.
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The new target gene is called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, or MTHFR. The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) researchers were able to inhibit the function of the gene by creating antisense – an exact opposite of a tiny section of the MTHFR gene.
“MTHFR is involved in the synthesis of methionine – a critical nutrient necessary for growth of cancer cells,” explained Dr Rima Rozen, principal investigator of the new study, and deputy scientific director of the MUHC Research Institute. “By inhibiting the gene’s function, we were able to slow the growth of tumors.”
Researchers found that the antisense reduced lung and colon cancer tumors in both laboratory-based tissue cultures and in mice. These results in animal models is a major step forward for the research and, according to Rozen, provides hope that inhibiting the gene could also work in humans.
The research, funded by Strida Pharma, a McGill University spin-off company, also indicated that the antisense was particularly effective in reducing cancer tumors when administered in low doses and in combination with established cancer drugs.
“All drugs and antisense have some level of toxicity,” said Rozen. “An antisense that works in harmony with other drugs, and in such low doses, is a significant breakthrough in cancer research.”