Hope in sight for breast cancer patients

BHUBANESWAR: In a significant breakthrough in the field of breast cancer research, the biologists of Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) have come up with a remarkable discovery which will help reduce the growth of cancerous cells in nicotine consuming women.

The team led by principal investigator and senior breast cancer biologist Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra has identified an enzyme which plays a critical role in the metastasis (development of secondary malignant growths at a distance from a primary site of cancer) in smoking group women who are suffering from breast cancer.

“We have found that Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) enzyme, which mainly acts to silence many genes by a chemical modulation dubbed as methylation, is helping in the growth of malignant tumour in breast cancer patients, especially in smoking group women,” he said.

Since breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women worldwide, Mishra, who is head of the molecular oncology lab in the department of cancer biology at ILS, said the nicotine associated breast cancer could be stopped from spreading to another organ of the body by inhibiting the EZH2, which is a histone-lysine N-methyltransferase enzyme.

“The inhibitor DZNepA is a specific chemical having the ability to antagonise the activity EZH2 enzyme that is high in nicotine consuming breast cancer patients in comparison to non consuming patients. Since the inhibitor is available in the market, it will help checkmate the growth of cancerous cells,” he said.

The team has studied the findings on 24 mice divided in two groups having 12 each. Lead author Kanchan Kumari said it was found that the enzyme helped growth of oncogene in 10 nicotine treated mice against just one in non-nicotine treated mice. “Later we inhibited that gene with the help of DZNep and saw the reduced breast tumour in nicotine mediated mice,” she said.

The study has been accepted for publication in a highly prestigious international journal of Nature group - Cell Death and Diseases. The researchers are confident that the finding will definitely help the clinicians to find out a better line of therapy for nicotine consuming women who are suffering from breast cancer.

Meanwhile, ILS Director Dr Ajay Parida has announced that the institution will work on locally relevant problems using advanced biotechnology. “It is a significant finding and ILS in partnership with other institutions will focus on product development in coming out of research initiatives,” he added.

Earlier, Mishra’s team had found out the possibility of antimalarial  drug Artemisinin and another molecule ERR beta to be a potential combo  therapy for breast cancer patients.