JBC: Controlling cholesterol helps kill lymphoma cells

January 27, 2021 // -- In a recent study, scientists at Northwestern Medicine have developed a novel therapy that can induce cancer cells to devour cholesterol, which they consider their favorite food, which actually triggers the latter's death.
the study looked at lymphoma cells, scientists say the new experimental drug may be effective in other cholesterol-like cancers, such as kidney and ovarian cancer.
study was published this month in Journal of Biological Chemistry.
"We found that the ability of new mechanisms of cell death brings us closer to the clinical stage, in which case we can use this method in patients with lymphoma who are not effective with standard therapies.com," said Dr. Leo I, co-author of the study.
data also provide a basis for extending these observations to other cholesterol-addicted cancers, such as ovarian and kidney cancers.
" therapy is possible because scientists have also shown that cholesterol metabolism in target cancer cells is completely different from cholesterol metabolism in normal cells.
allows the experimental drug to selectively attack and kill vulnerable cancer cells without damaging normal cells.
, an associate professor of urology at Northwestern University in the United States. Dr Shad Thaxton said: "Our treatment targets cancer cells that rely on cholesterol absorption and disrupt the overall balance of cholesterol in cells.
found that the cell was trying to compensate by shutting down the pathways needed to sustain life.
hope that this new mechanism may become a blueprint for other types of cancer.
" synthetic bioparticle therapy is the first method to target cancer cells, especially by regulating cell cholesterol metabolism and then triggering this new method of killing cells.
, scientists have shown that the drug is not toxic to normal cells, which do not do the same damage to cholesterol metabolism as cancer cells.
study, Northwest scientists demonstrated the efficacy of the experimental drug in human cancer cell models, animal models, and from patients with lymphoma.
the team will continue to develop the drug so they can apply to begin Phase I clinical trials in patients.
they have also initiated a process of expanding drug production for research in large animals.
() Source: Spite starvation kills lymphoma cells Original source: Jonathan S. Rink et al, Targeted reduction of spite uptake in spite-addicted lymphoma cells blocks turnover of oxidized lipids to cause ferroptosis, Biology of Biology Chemistry (2020). DOI: 10.1074/jbc. RA120.014888