Is this a new strategy to treat cancer?
Researchers have discovered a new way to reactivate genes that have been epigenetically silenced by cancer.
A team at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research & Molecular Biology at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) discovered how to reactivate genes by inhibiting the DNA transcription regulator CDK9.
The team found that reactivating genes leads to restored tumour suppression gene expression and enhanced immunity against cancer.
Researchers performed a live cell drug screen with genetic confirmation to identify CDK9 as a target, then developed and tested a new inhibitor drug - MC180295. They found the drug to be highly selective and could potentially avoid side-effects associated with inhibiting the cell cycle. In addition, the drug showed broad effectiveness against cancer both in vitro and vivo.