Scientists said that there is a promising treatment for some cancers, through “DNA” (DNA) that is linked to the genes that cause the disease.
“Discovering how these parts of DNA behave inside our bodies is a game-changer,” Professor Paul Michell, of Stanford University in California, one of the leaders of the research, told The Guardian.
“We believe they are responsible for a large number of the most advanced and most dangerous cancers affecting people today. If we can block their activities, we can prevent the spread of these cancers,” he added.
Scientists have identified parts of DNA that help cancer spread and help tumors develop resistance to anti-cancer drugs.
The researchers added that the discovery of these bits of genetic material – known as extrachromosomal DNA, or ecDNA – could revolutionize the treatment of some of the most aggressive tumors affecting people today.
Made up of small loops of DNA, these genetic fragments survive outside the chromosomes, which are the main repositories of our cells and of the genetic material that directs the growth of our bodies and determines our individual characteristics. The paper says that the presence of these smaller parts was detected years ago, but their importance in cancer was revealed recently.
“We found that ecDNA acts as cancer-causing genes that have somehow detached themselves from a person’s chromosomes and started behaving in ways that circumvent the normal rules of genetics,” said Stanford geneticist Howard Chang.
In recent years, scientists have shown that tumors occur because normal genes in a cell go wrong and cause that cell to divide uncontrollably. The end result is a tumor. These genes are known as oncogenes and can be targeted by a range of drugs and therapies. However, resistance to these drugs or treatments often develops after a while, and this allows the cancer to return.