It’s an appealing idea: Eliminate the cells that support a tumor, and maybe the tumor will, in a manner of speaking, come tumbling down. But what if the tumor remains standing? Even worse, what if the tumor is soon accompanied by spreading metastasis? Such unexpected developments were in fact observed in a study conducted by researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). According to these researchers, the consequences of inducing the self-destruction of tumor-support cells crucially depend on timing. Tumor support cells, or cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), may be engineered to carry so-called suicide genes. Because the genes can be activated by means of a small molecule inducer, they can be triggered at will. Such control is enormously convenient in cancer research. For example, it can enable researchers to eliminate CAFs at defined moments in tumor progression. Selectively orchestrati...
Integrated Drug Discovery Services- Chemistry, Biology & Preclinical Services