A new way to use DNA to kill cancer cells could pave the way for a cure, scientists say
- University of Tokyo scientists may have paved the way for using DNA to cure cancer
- Study author Professor Akimitsu Okamoto says their research is ‘good news’
- It uses cancer-fighting DNA in the shape of a hairpin, which is injected into cancer cells
A new way to use DNA to kill cancer cells, which could pave the way for a cure for the disease, has been created by scientists.
Professor Akimitsu Okamoto of the University of Tokyo and author of the study, said the research was “good news” and would open up new options for cancer treatments.
The method targets human cervical cancer and breast cancer-derived cells, as well as malignant melanoma cells in mice.
It uses a hairpin-shaped pair of anti-cancer DNA that is injected into cancer cells.
Professor Akimitsu Okamoto (pictured) from the University of Tokyo, has a new way of using DNA to kill cancer cells which could pave the way to a cure, said the research is ‘good news ” and will open up new options for cancer treatments
The method created by scientists at the University of Tokyo (pictured) targets human cervical cancer and breast cancer-derived cells, as well as malignant melanoma cells in mice
When injected into them, they connected to molecules called microRNAs that are overproduced in some cancers.
Once connected to the microRNA, they uncoiled and formed longer DNA chains which created an immune response.
The immune system recognized the overproduced microRNA cells as dangerous, which activated a natural immune response that killed the cancer cells.
The Japanese research team says their method is different from existing ones and could herald a new era of breakthrough cancer drugs.
Professor Okamoto said: “The results of this study are good news for doctors, drug discovery researchers and cancer patients, as we believe it will give them new options for drug development and treatments. drug policies.
“We will then aim for drug discovery based on the results of this research and examine in detail the efficacy, toxicity and potential delivery methods of the drugs.”
He added: “We believed that if we could create new drugs that work by a different mechanism of action than conventional drugs, they could be effective against cancers that have not been cured so far.”
New cancer research uses a hairpin-shaped pair of anti-cancer DNA that are injected into cancer cells
Cancer is unfortunately a familiar health problem and existing means of treating it have their limitations, but DNA and RNA-based drugs should help scientists defeat it.
Indeed, DNA and RNA are molecules carrying vital information that can control the biological function of cells.
They are expected to transform the future of medicine and help cure other hard-to-treat diseases caused by viruses and genetic diseases.
Using DNA and RNA to treat cancers has been difficult because it is difficult to get them to differentiate cancer cells from healthy cells.
This means that a patient’s immune system can be affected if healthy cells are attacked.
However, it was the first time scientists could develop a hairpin-shaped strand of DNA that can activate a natural immune response to target and kill specific cancer cells.
The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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