The discovery of the "Achilles' heel" of cancer cells can help develop new therapies?

Discovery of the "Achilles Heel" of cancer cells

Helps develop new therapies that limit the development of solid tumors

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, August 29 (intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin) Researchers from the University of British Columbia School of Medicine and the Cancer Institute of British Columbia have discovered the weakness of a key enzyme called carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX).
When oxygen levels are low, solid tumor cells rely on this enzyme to adapt to the environment and survive
.

The results of this study, published on the 27th in the journal "Science Advances", will help scientists develop new treatment strategies that limit the development of solid tumors

Clinically, tumors are divided into solid tumors and non-solid tumors
.

Solid tumors rely on blood supply to transport oxygen and nutrients to help them grow

In order to overcome this pressure, the cell neutralizes the acidic conditions in the environment by releasing enzymes (one of which is CAIX).
In the end, it not only survives, but also becomes a more aggressive type that can spread to other organs.
Tumor
.

"Cancer cells rely on CAIX for survival, which ultimately makes CAIX their'Achilles heel'
.

By inhibiting the activity of CAIX, we can effectively prevent the growth of cancer cells

Previously, De Haar's research team discovered a unique compound called SLC-0111, which is a powerful inhibitor of CAIX and is currently in phase I clinical trials
.

Although preclinical models of breast, pancreatic, and brain cancer have demonstrated the effectiveness of this compound in inhibiting tumor growth and spread, other cellular properties reduce its effectiveness

In this study, the research team began to use a powerful tool called "full-gene combination into lethal screening" to examine the characteristics of these tumor cells and find other weaknesses in CAIX
.

The tool is based on the genetics of cancer cells and can systematically delete one gene at a time to determine whether it can kill cancer cells by eliminating CAIX and another specific gene

De Haar said that the test results unexpectedly found that CAIX can prevent cancer cells from dying due to iron ptosis (also known as "iron death", a form of cell death)
.

This form of cell death occurs when iron accumulates and weakens the tumor’s metabolism and cell membranes

It is understood that scientists are conducting a large-scale study in order to determine the drug that can cause cancer cell iron to sag
.

And this new research is an important step forward in this exploration

Editor-in-chief

Cancer is an important killer of human health in modern society.
Scientists in the field of biomedicine have been tirelessly looking for better ways to treat it
.

In recent years, many advances in the treatment of cancer stem from breakthroughs in the understanding of the mechanism of cancer