A new way to use DNA to kill cancer cells could pave the way for a cure, scientists say
- University of Tokyo scientists may have paved the way for using DNA to treat cancer
- Study author Professor Akimitsu Okamoto says their study is ‘good news’
- It uses hairclip-shaped cancer-killing DNA that is injected into cancer cells.
Scientists have developed a new method of using DNA to kill cancer cells.
The study’s author, Professor Akimitsu Okamoto of the University of Tokyo, said the study was “good news” and would open up new options for cancer treatment.
The method targets human cervical and breast cancer-derived cells as well as mouse malignant melanoma cells.
It uses a pair of hairclip-shaped cancer-killing DNA that is injected into cancer cells.
Akimitsu Okamoto, a professor at the University of Tokyo (pictured), has a new method of using DNA to kill cancer cells that could pave the way for a cure. It will open up new options.
The method (pictured), created by scientists at the University of Tokyo, targets cells from human cervical and breast cancers, as well as malignant melanoma cells in mice.
When they were injected, they bound to molecules called microRNAs that are overproduced in certain cancers.
Once attached to microRNAs, they unraveled to form longer DNA strands, triggering an immune response.
The immune system recognized the overproduced microRNA cells as dangerous and activated an innate immune response that killed cancer cells.
A Japanese research team says their method is different from existing ones and could usher in a new era of breakthrough anticancer drugs.
Professor Okamoto said, “We believe that the results of this study are good news for doctors, drug discovery researchers, and cancer patients, and provide new options for drug development and dosing policy.
“Next, based on the results of this research, we will aim for drug discovery, and we will examine in detail the efficacy, toxicity, and the possibility of administration methods.”
“I thought that if we could create a new drug that works by a different mechanism of action than conventional drugs, it might be effective against cancers that were previously untreatable.”
A new cancer study uses a pair of hairclip-shaped cancer-killing DNA injected into cancer cells.
Unfortunately, cancer is a pervasive health problem and existing treatments have limitations, but DNA- and RNA-based drugs hope to help scientists eventually beat cancer. It has been.
This is because DNA and RNA are important signaling molecules that can control the biological functions of cells.
They are expected to transform the future of medicine and help treat other difficult-to-treat diseases caused by viruses and genetic diseases.
Using DNA and RNA to treat cancer has been difficult. This is because it is difficult to distinguish between cancer cells and healthy cells.
This means that the patient’s immune system can be adversely affected if healthy cells are attacked.
But it was the first time that scientists were able to develop a hairpin-shaped strand of DNA that could activate a natural immune response that targets and kills specific cancer cells.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
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