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Putting cancer cells to sleep is a cardinal method of fighting tumors
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Today, as before, the treatment of malignant processes remains the most pressing issue in medicine. Scientists have already tested many methods of destroying and blocking tumor growth, and each of them had both positive and negative sides. Today, specialists are thinking: why not try to "put to sleep" malignant cells, and so that they can no longer wake up? Such a method can completely neutralize the mechanism of tumor development. We assume that for an ordinary person, such a statement sounds a little strange. Nevertheless, Australian researchers have taken up the implementation of exactly this project. According to them, the latest technique will help not only to overcome a cancerous tumor, but also to prevent the occurrence of many side effects.
As scientists explain, the compound capable of putting malignant cells to sleep has a direct effect on the protein substances KAT6A and KAT6B. The first substance is associated with the development of acute myeloid leukemia, and the second can cause several different cancer processes at once. These proteins are involved in the mechanisms of cell proliferation. Their structure contains a kind of inhibitory system that “prohibits” uncontrolled cell division. But under certain circumstances – with certain chromosome mutations – these substances lose the functionality of the regulatory system, which gives impetus to the development of a malignant process.
The intended purpose of the substance created by scientists is to ensure high-quality regulation of such a mechanism.
Laboratory studies involving rodents suffering from blood cancer have shown excellent results: the use of the new agent has extended the life of the animals by almost 4 times. After using the drug, the development of the malignant process literally stopped, as if someone had pressed the "play/pause" button. This is how the experts who conducted the experiment comment on this phenomenon: "The new drug simply takes away the ability to activate the cell cycle from malignantly altered cells. This reaction is called "cellular aging". The structures simply become non-viable. If we conduct a comparative analysis between this method and popular radiation and chemotherapy, we can see that the new substance acts selectively, harming only the altered cells, without affecting normal healthy organizations. However, we will not stop at the results achieved. Today, we need to make some improvements to the drug in order to conduct final clinical tests in the future with the participation of people suffering from oncology."
The research is described in detail in the publication Nature.
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