According to a story from the University of Toledo, a team of researchers from the school have successfully designed a molecule affectionately dubbed “Sweet-P” that can stop the movement of cancer cells. This can prevent cancer from metastasizing, or spreading. Cancers both rare and common alike almost always become more difficult to treat successfully once the spreading process begins. The molecule can a be a potential benefit for patients whose cancer is no longer responding to treatment.
Dr. Terry Hinds, who helped lead the development, says that the molecule can completely shut down the spreading process.
“There’s nothing else like it out there.”
While Sweet-P has great potential to be a one of a kind therapy, there is still a lot more research that must be done before it will begin helping patients. The team hopes to test the molecule in mice before moving on clinical trials with human patients.
The Origins of Sweet-P
Interestingly, the creation of Sweet-P was not the original intent of the scientists. The team was actually trying to study obesity. Their research was centered around a protein called GR beta. Terry modified stem cells to express a higher than normal level of GR beta. He theorized that they would turn into fat cells. This hypothesis was based on the results of prior research, but it turned out to be incorrect; instead, they began to replicate very quickly. This intrigued Dr. Hinds greatly; GR beta is also known to help cancer cells grow and spread.
The team found that microRNA-144, which binds to the GR beta gene, was found at much higher levels in bladder cancer patients. Unlike most microRNAs, this one activated GR beta during cancer cell migration. Sweet-P is designed specifically to counter this activity by suppressing the expression of GR beta.
Sweet Possibilities
Sweet-P is a highly targeted treatment, since it relies on making a very small change to gene expression. This means that it would probably have few side effects if used as a treatment. Any cancer in which GR beta is expressed could potentially respond to it, including lung cancer, prostate cancer, and the notorious brain cancer glioblastoma, which is highly aggressive and responds poorly to most treatments. Hopefully, future research will continue to display Sweet-P’s potential.