患者案例故事
更多与脑缺陷相关的基因可能指向一个新的脑肿瘤药物靶点
根据美国对一种罕见遗传疾病的研究,可以帮助科学家更多的了解脑部肿瘤。
“对患有成神经管细胞瘤小鼠的这个有趣的研究表明,阻断ATR基因有可能成为治疗这类肿瘤的有效策略”,英国癌症研究院的Simona Parrinello博士说。
塞克尔综合症可引起小头症,一种婴儿出生时头部异常小的症状。
美国北卡罗来纳大学莱恩伯格综合癌症中心的研究人员将这种遗传条件限制脑生长的方式与称为成神经管细胞瘤的特定类型的肿瘤发展联系起来。
塞克尔综合征的一种形式是由ATR基因中的缺陷引起的,其导致脑生长不足。
因为成神经管细胞瘤导致大脑的一部分继续生长,并且塞克尔综合征限制脑生长,研究人员想要看看是否可以消除另一个。
该研究的作者Tim Gershon教授说,通过了解塞克尔综合征如何限制脑部生长,研究人员可以适应该过程以解决脑肿瘤。
他们发现,在小鼠中靶向ATR基因可以帮助减缓成神经管细胞瘤的生长,根据发表在发展期刊上的研究。
这表明ATR对于成神经管细胞瘤细胞的存活是重要的,研究人员说,需要做更多的工作来了解这种方法在人群中的安全性。
英国癌症研究脑肿瘤研究专家Simona Parrinello博士说:“这项对有成神经管细胞瘤的小鼠的有趣研究尤其引人注目,表明阻断ATR可能是治疗这种类型肿瘤的有效策略。
“特别令人感兴趣的是,阻断ATR还会在称为p53的基因中失去细胞,这在癌症中经常是错误的。
“因此,这种方法可能比其它化疗药物更有效地靶向更广泛的癌细胞”(美域健康漆琳编译)
Gene linked to brain defect could point to a new brain tumour drug target
Research into a rare genetic disease could help scientists understand a type of brain tumour, according to a US study.
"This interesting study in mice with medulloblastoma suggests that blocking ATR might be an effective strategy for treating this type of tumour" - Dr Simona Parrinello, Cancer Research UK Seckel syndrome can cause microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with an abnormally small head.
And researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centre in the US have linked the way this genetic condition limits brain growth to how a particular type of tumour, called medulloblastoma, develops.
One form of Seckel syndrome is caused by faults in the ATR gene, which cause inadequate brain growth.
As medulloblastoma causes part of the brain to continue growing, and Seckel syndrome limits brain growth, researchers wanted to see whether one could cancel the other out.
Professor Tim Gershon, an author on the study, said that by understanding how Seckel syndrome limits brain growth, researchers can adapt the process to tackle brain tumours.
They found that targeting the ATR gene in mice could help slow the growth of medulloblastoma, according to the study published in the journal Development.
This suggests that ATR is important for the medulloblastoma cells to survive.The researchers said more work is needed to understand how safe the approach might be in people.
Dr Simona Parrinello, a Cancer Research UK expert on brain tumours, said: “This interesting study in mice with medulloblastoma is especially striking and suggests that blocking ATR might be an effective strategy for treating this type of tumour.
“What is particularly intriguing is that blocking ATR also kills cells with mistakes in a gene called p53, which is frequently faulty in cancer.
“So this approach may be more effective in targeting a broader range of cancer cells than other chemotherapy drugs.”
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