PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers

2014-01-08
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Liz Williams
williams@wehi.edu.au
61-428-034-089
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have discovered a promising strategy for treating cancers that are caused by one of the most common cancer-causing changes in cells.

The discovery offers hope for treating many types of cancer that are driven to grow and spread through the actions of a cancer-causing protein called MYC.

Up to 70 per cent of human cancers, including many leukaemias and lymphomas, have unusually high levels of MYC, which causes cancerous changes in cells by forcing them into abnormally rapid growth.

Dr Gemma Kelly, Dr Marco Herold and Professor Andreas Strasser from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, led a research team investigating how cells with high levels of MYC stay alive and grow. They discovered that lymphomas that have high levels of MYC cannot survive long-term without a protein called MCL-1 which makes cells long-lived. Their research is published this week in the journal Genes & Development.

VIDEO: Researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, have discovered a promising strategy for treating cancers that are caused by one of the most common cancer-causing changes...
Click here for more information.

Dr Kelly said the research built on more than three decades of work at the institute into how MYC drives cancer development and how the survival of normal and cancerous cells is regulated. "For many years we have known that proteins from the BCL-2 protein family enhance cell survival and cooperate with MYC to accelerate the development of cancer," she said. "Until now, it was not known which specific BCL-2 family protein was most important for the survival and growth of MYC-driven cancers.

"We discovered that lymphoma cells with high levels of MYC can be killed by disabling a protein called MCL-1. Excitingly, when compared with healthy cells, the lymphoma cells were considerably more sensitive to a reduction in MCL-1 function. This suggests that in the future medicines that block MCL-1 could be effective in treating cancers expressing high levels of MYC with tolerable side-effects on the body's normal cells," she said.

Professor Strasser said the finding was exciting as there was hope that MCL-1 inhibitors may soon be available for clinical use. "MCL-1 is found at high levels in a number of blood cancers and also many solid tumours, so there has been a strong drive to develop potential anti-cancer compounds that target MCL-1," he said.

"Anti-cancer agents that target the protein BCL-2, which is closely related to MCL-1, are already showing promise in clinical trials, including some held in Melbourne. We are hopeful that inhibitors of MCL-1 will soon become available for clinical testing. We will be very interested in determining whether these compounds could be used to treat MYC-driven cancers," Professor Strasser said.



INFORMATION:

The research was supported by the Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund, the Leukaemia Foundation of Australia, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (US), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), the German Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and the Victorian Government.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Fit teenagers are less likely to have heart attacks in later life

2014-01-08
Fit teenagers are less likely to have heart attacks in later life Researchers in Sweden have found an association between a person's fitness as a teenager and their risk of heart attack in later life. In a study of nearly 750,000 men, they found that the more aerobically ...

Fight or flight and the evolution of pain

2014-01-08
Fight or flight and the evolution of pain Recent highlights in Molecular Biology and Evolution Hard wired into the survival mechanisms of all animals is the perception of pain. Different stimuli, such as heat or cold, foul odors, ...

Mega-landslide in giant Utah copper mine may have triggered earthquakes

2014-01-08
Mega-landslide in giant Utah copper mine may have triggered earthquakes January 2014 GSA Today science article Boulder, Colorado, USA – Landslides are one of the most hazardous aspects of our planet, causing billions of dollars in damage and thousands of deaths each year. ...

Of lice and men (and chimps): Study tracks pace of molecular evolution

2014-01-08
Of lice and men (and chimps): Study tracks pace of molecular evolution CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study compares the relative rate of molecular evolution between humans and chimps with that of their lice. The researchers wanted to know whether evolution ...

Is multitasking mastery in the genes?

2014-01-08
Is multitasking mastery in the genes? Human factors/ergonomics researchers have long studied the connection between cognitive function and the ability to perform well on multiple simultaneous tasks, and recently a group of neuroergonomics researchers went a ...

Childhood fractures may indicate bone-density problems

2014-01-08
Childhood fractures may indicate bone-density problems ROCHESTER, Minn. — Broken bones may seem like a normal part of an active childhood. About 1 in 3 otherwise healthy children suffers a bone fracture. Breakage of the bone running from the elbow to the thumb side of the ...

Combined therapy benefits cigarette smokers trying to quit compared to monotherapy

2014-01-08
Combined therapy benefits cigarette smokers trying to quit compared to monotherapy ROCHESTER, Minn. — Jan. 7, 2014 — Among cigarette smokers, combining the smoking cessation medications varenicline and bupropion, compared with varenicline alone, resulted in higher smoking ...

New diagnostic and therapeutic techniques show potential for patients with metastasized melanoma

2014-01-08
New diagnostic and therapeutic techniques show potential for patients with metastasized melanoma Reston, Va. (January 7, 2014) – With low survival rates for patients with metastasized melanoma, accurate staging and effective treatments are critical to extending ...

Pandora's magnifying glass

2014-01-08
Pandora's magnifying glass First image from Hubble's Frontier Fields This image of Abell 2744 is the first to come from Hubble's Frontier Fields observing programme, which is using the magnifying power of enormous galaxy clusters to peer deep ...

Out-of-this-world first light images emerge from Gemini Planet Imager

2014-01-08
Out-of-this-world first light images emerge from Gemini Planet Imager After nearly a decade of development, construction and testing, the world's most advanced instrument for directly imaging and analyzing planets orbiting around other stars is pointing ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Survival protein a potential new target for many cancers