Scientists find a way to trick cancer cells into 'committing suicide'

There has been a breakthrough in cancer treatment with a unique gene editing technique that causes cancer cells to self-destruct.

Scientists have made a major step forward in the fight against cancer with a promising new approach, BGR reports. Instead of searching for new drugs, they have used the tumor's own ability to rapidly evolve to fight it.

Scientists have found a way to make cancer cells self-destruct without using drugs.

The study, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, describes a technique called 'Dual Switch Selection Gene Drive.' It works by introducing two genetic 'switches' into a tumor . The first switch allows the transformed cells to outgrow other cancer cells when exposed to a specific drug. The second switch is then activated, releasing a toxin that kills both the transformed cells and surrounding cancer cells.

In experiments on mice with non-small cell lung cancer, the method proved surprisingly effective, with tumors completely disappearing after 80 days.

What's unique about this approach is that it doesn't aim to discover new drugs, but instead takes advantage of the tumor's ability to rapidly evolve to turn it into a fatal weakness.

Although still in the animal testing phase, the results have opened up a new and potential direction in the fight against cancer. Researchers are continuing to test this method on other types of cancer and different drug combinations, hoping to soon bring this technique to clinical application, bringing new hope to millions of cancer patients worldwide.