It might be possible to change the course of glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer, by manipulating small molecules that switch genes on and off inside cells.
This was the conclusion of a study in which researchers in the United Kingdom and India manipulated gene-regulating molecules known as microRNAs (miRNAs) in “human glioblastoma cells.”
In a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, they report how “overexpression” of two particular miRNAs reduced the ability of the brain cancer cells to invade and multiply.
The findings strengthen the case for using molecular techniques to slow or reverse the progress of glioblastoma — a “devastating disease” with few treatment options — says co-senior study author Dr. Arijit Mukhopadhyay, who researches and lectures in human genetics at the University of Salford in the U.K.
“We observed,” he adds, “significant reduction of proliferation and invasion capacity and increased apoptosis [programmed cell death] of cancer cells when we used an increased expression of microRNAs as a switch.”
Glioblastomas are difficult to treat
Glioblastoma is aggressive cancer that starts in cells known as astrocytes. These form the tissue that supports the neurons that carry and process information in the brain and spinal cord.
The main reason that the cancer is so aggressive is that astrocytes “reproduce quickly” and the tissue has a rich blood supply. Around 15.4 percent of “all primary brain tumors” are glioblastomas.
Management of glioblastoma, which has “remained stable” for 40 years, usually consists of surgery with radiation and chemotherapy.
But, the tumors can be very difficult to remove with surgery because they have long “tentacles” that can reach into other parts of the brain.
There is hope, however, that recent progress in genetic and molecular techniques will improve the “management and outcome of this devastating tumor.”
miRNAs have a role in cancer
miRNAs are small non-coding molecules inside cells that can alter the expression of specific genes. This means, for example, that if the affected gene is one that codes for a protein, a miRNA that silences the gene could stop the cell from making the protein.
The study of miRNAs is a relatively “new and exciting field” with “profound implications” for medicine.
