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Targeting “Junk DNA” Offers New Hope for Blood Cancer Treatment
“Junk DNA” may hold the key to treating tough cancers. Existing drugs exploit weaknesses in cells with gene mutations.
Researchers at King’s College London have identified a promising strategy for treating certain blood cancers by repurposing existing drugs. Their approach involves targeting a part of human DNA once dismissed as irrelevant,revealing it to be a valuable therapeutic chance.
The findings, reported in Blood, examined myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).Both cancers frequently carry mutations in the ASXL1 and EZH2 genes, which normally regulate whether other genes are turned on or off.When these regulatory genes are altered, cells lose control over normal growth and division, leading to uncontrolled expansion of abnormal cells.
Limits of Current Treatments
Conventional cancer therapies often work by blocking harmful proteins produced by defective genes. In cases where the protein is absent altogether, as with these mutations, there is nothing for drugs to inhibit. This leaves patients with limited treatment options.
