American scientists from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York have discovered a method that allows cancer cells to be deprived of nutrients and trigger their destruction. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Metabolism (NatMetab).
Cancer cells deplete an amino acid called glutamine, which they need to grow and multiply. Previous experiments have shown that depriving cancer cells of glutamine causes the tumor to adapt and switch to feeding on a substance called alpha-ketoglutarate.
In the new study, the team inhibited (suppressed) the metabolic pathway responsible for the absorption of alpha-ketoglutarate in breast cancer cells. The approach proved effective, killing cancer cells in laboratory vessels and treating breast tumors in mice.
Scientists hope that blocking cancer’s metabolic pathways will help combat cancer metastasis and save patients diagnosed with very difficult-to-treat cancers, including brain cancer.
Previous researchers learned You can quickly diagnose a brain tumor using a low-cost device.