'Chiêu' new treatment for liver cancer

Researchers have found a new method that can be used to treat or even prevent liver cancer, the third leading cause of death in the world.

According to Top News , the team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School (US) has identified a mechanism in mice that causes inflammation in the liver and transforms normal cells into cells. cancer.

Research in a mouse model shows that a special micro-RNA (miR-124) can be exploited to treat or even prevent this dreaded disease.

'In this study, for the first time, we identified a micro-RNA that could prevent and treat liver cancer , ' said Dimitrios Iliopoulos of Dana-Farber Institute's Cancer and Cancer Immunology Department. The team member, said.

Mr. Iliopoulos and colleagues found that in mice given a cancer-causing chemical, called DEN, liver cancer began by activating a molecular circuit and this molecular circuit formed an inflammatory state. in the cell, leading to cancer.

Once this inflammation circuit is started even within a few days, it will work permanently, meaning maintaining its activity through a non-stop feedback loop - a 'snowball effect' like Mr. Iliopoulos described.

According to the team, one component of this circuit is a micro-RNA called miR-124. They found miR-124 and another key controller of the feedback loop, HNF4a, showing a decline in activity in cancer cells.

Because HNF4a and miR-124 interact with each other, the scientists hypothesize that boosting miR-124 activity may restore normal activity in HNF4a, preventing the cycle of inflammation 'out of control'. 'and caused tumors to stop growing.

To test this concept, they injected miR-124 into mice that developed liver cancer (due to contact with DEN) once a week for 4 weeks.

'We found that miR-124 inhibited more than 80% of tumor growth and size by causing cancer cells to self-destruct,' according to scientists.

The study showed that injecting miR-124 into mice exposed to DEN actually prevented the development of liver tumors.

Research results have been published on the Cell.