RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A team of scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center has made a new discovery that may have significant implications for the development of future treatments for colon cancer.
According to the university, through a study, the discovery was made of a previously unknown interaction between proteins that is responsible for supplying energy to tumor cells.
“This study is really exciting because we may be able to use these findings to inform the development of an entirely new cancer drug right here at Massey,” said study author Can Senkal, Ph.D., a member of the Cancer Biology research program at the center.
Researchers are screening cells to find which proteins interact with ceramides — a class of fatty compounds that regulate multiple cellular functions — with the hopes of identifying patterns that may warrant further investigation.
Many cancer drugs simulate ceramide generation to help fend off disease. When a ceramide is cut off, cancer cells can survive and grow more efficiently.
The university said Senkal hopes to collaborate with other scientists at Massey in a long-term effort to apply these findings to new in-house drug development at the cancer center.
