You are in > manchester.com  > News > Scientists uncover 'guardian' in cancer cases

Health

Scientists uncover 'guardian' in cancer cases

06/05/2008

Scientists say they have made an important genetic discovery that could lead to the development a new drug for a variety of cancers.

A team from Scottish universities uncovered a group of chemicals that protect p53 - an important anti-tumour gene - from destruction.

They hope that it may be possible to develop treatment that could shield p53 from damage and therefore reduce tumour growth.

The researchers discovered the chemicals, known as tenovins, after studying 30,000 drug-like compounds.

"Our findings indicate that tenovins have the potential to stop tumours. We found that tenovins work by inhibiting enzymes called sirtuins which clip off a crucial chemical group from p53, leading to its destruction," said lead author Dr Sonia Lain from the University of Dundee.

"We hope that targeting sirtuins with drugs could treat many different cancers in the future."

Commenting on the research, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information Dr Lesley Walker said: "We're very excited to see chemicals that could become exciting new drugs emerging from this work, which started with the discovery of p53 by Cancer Research UK in the late 70s.

"Translating the processes underlying cancer into effective treatments for patients is a major part of Cancer Research UK's strategy for beating cancer, and one which we believe will deliver many more crucial weapons in the fight against the disease."