Researchers looking for a cure for cancer have uncovered a significant finding that might transform certain cancer cells into ‘normal’ ones.
Cancer develops in the body when the DNA of a cell mutates, causing the cell to expand uncontrollably and transforming it from a normal cell to a malignant one.
Mutations can occur as a result of inheritance, injury (for example, from sun exposure), or as they age.
Being able to convert a cancerous cell back to something that resembles normal is a hugely significant development, not only because it opens up a new way of treating certain cancers, but also because it may reduce the unpleasant side effects associated with some commonly used cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
This is due to the cell’s return to a normal-like state rather than its total destruction.
Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho of the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology’s Department of Bio and Brain Engineering led the research.
Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho and his research team employed a computerized model of normal cell growth to successfully transform colon cancer cells into a normal condition.
During the investigation, the team witnessed the oncogenesis process, which occurs when normal cells convert into cancer cells. Scientists found that molecules called “master regulators” (MYB, HDAC2, and FOXA2) caused differentiation after making a “digital twin” of the gene network.
The study, published in Advanced Science, reveals that “MYB, HDAC2, and FOXA2 are identified as master regulators whose inhibition induces enterocyte differentiation.”
“Simultaneous knockdown of these master regulators can revert colorectal cancer cells into normal-like enterocytes by synergistically inducing differentiation and suppressing malignancy.”
Trials on animals with malignant tumors subsequently validated the results of the digital research.
“The fact that cancer cells may transform back to normal cells is a remarkable thing,” Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho said in response to the discovery.
This study demonstrates the systematic induction of such reversion. This study proposes the innovative notion of reversible cancer treatment, which involves returning cancer cells to normal cells. It also creates fundamental technologies for discovering targets for cancer reversal by systematically analyzing normal cell development paths.”
The work opened up new possibilities for the use of reversible cancer therapy in various cancer treatments.