We are hopeful that our discovery could lead to new treatments within the next five years.
- Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald
Researchers believe drug therapies based on their discovery could help up to 15% of the 8,500 people diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK every year. The study, by scientists from the University of Cambridge, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
With the advance of DNA sequencing, researchers are increasingly able to identify genes associated with diseases. Unfortunately, more often than not the function of the gene is unknown, making it difficult to develop a treatment based on the discovery.
The new Cambridge research found not only that the TRIM44 gene plays a key role in the development of oesophageal cancer but also discovered how the gene drives the disease. The new research reveals that over-expression (when there are multiple copies) of TRIM44 leads to higher activity of the mTOR gene, which regulates cell growth and division - processes that become uncontrolled in cancer.
“We know how effective treatments targeting the over-expression of genes can be – just look at the success of Herceptin for breast and stomach cancer,” said Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, lead author of the research from the MRC Cancer Unit at the University of Cambridge. “As there are already a number of drugs which target mTOR, we are hopeful that our discovery could lead to new treatments within the next five years.”
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Image: Multiple copies of the TRIM44 gene in an oesophageal cancer cell line
Credit: Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald and Dr Johnny Ong
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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