New Delhi, March 29
US researchers have found how resistance to chemotherapies may occur in some cancers, an advance that could help pinpoint treatment-resistant tumours.
Chemotherapy resistance is a major challenge in cancer treatment. It occurs when cancer cells stop responding to chemotherapy, allowing the tumour to grow again.
The team from Mass General Brigham focused on a pathway that harnesses reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill cancer cells. The study, published in the journal Nature, found that mutations to VPS35 -- a key player in this pathway -- can prevent chemotherapy-induced cell death.
“ROS play an important role in healthy and diseased cells, but pathways that sense and control cellular ROS levels are not well understood,” said corresponding author Liron Bar-Peled, of the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at the hospital.
“A clearer understanding of ROS could help us understand why chemoresistance occurs in some cases.”
Low concentrations of ROS are required for normal cell signalling, but higher levels of ROS can damage cells and contribute to diseases such as cancer and neurodegeneration.