A form of cancer-driving DNA was found to be much more prevalent in the cells of certain cancers, according to research released yesterday. The studies could pave a path toward targeted drug therapy for aggressive cancers of the brain, breast, and more.
The research analyzed extrachromosomal DNA, atypical groups of genes located off the main 23 chromosome pairs of DNA inside each cell nucleus. In a study of 15,000 cancer patients hosting 39 types of tumors, researchers found 17% of tumors contained the genetic loops, more than previously thought. They also found ecDNA presence in tumors was associated with malignancy and greater fatality rates due to the unique—and theory-shifting—way ecDNA is passed on unequally during cell division. See the studies here.
In small-scale trials, researchers found ecDNA-laced tumor cells in mice were reduced after inhibiting the functions of a key protein known as CHK1. Early-phase clinical trials using CHK1 inhibitors on humans are underway.
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