A primary hardship faced in treating cancer patients is the cancer cell’s ability to metastasize, which makes it hard for surgeons to remove growths. Cancerous cells in the original tumor site can hijack blood cells and the lymph system to spread malignant cells too multiple organs in the human body. VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers have discovered a gene which allows them to induce apoptosis, or cell death, within cancer cells, without damaging nearby healthy cells. Mda-7/IL-24 has the ability to stimulate a process known as endoplasmic reticulum stress in cancer cells both in the primary tumor site and any region the cells have metastasized too. Endoplasmic reticulum stress is caused by an accumulation of excess proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum of individual cancer cell; this can lead to the activation of a cell’s pro survival or pro-suicidal pathways. Though normal cells may be able to recover from Endoplasmic reticulum stress, cancer cells simply cannot deal with the buildup of extra proteins and as such the cell’s ability to develop and invade other cells are disrupted. This, in effect, stunts the growth of tumors and ultimately ends up with the death of the cells. Researchers have undertaken trialing of mda-7/IL-24 in both animal models containing human cancer cells and injections into advanced carcinomas and melanomas with good results.
Reference
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701103234.htm
