NATURE : POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR SMALL CELL LUNG CÁNCER DISCOVERED .

 

Northwestern Medicine investigators have discovered that inhibiting a chromatin remodeling complex associated with a particular gene in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells may decrease cancer cell differentiation and tumor growth, according to findings published in Nature Communications .

The study, led by Lu Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and Zibo Zhao, Ph.D., assistant professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, suggests that inhibiting the complex may serve as a promising therapeutic target for SCLC, which currently has a five-year survival rate of less than 30% 

SCLC is typically diagnosed in individuals with a history of smoking, and accounts for roughly 13% of all lung cancer diagnoses, according to the American Cancer Society .

 In a previous study published in Science Advances, Dr. Wang's team discovered a new gene, which they named POU2AF2, and is essential for activating a specific subtype of SCLC and may serve as a biomarker for early identification of SCLC .

In the current study, Wang and his colleagues aimed to identify the precise function of POU2AF2 in cancerous tuft cells—multi-functional cells which make up the epithelial lining of different organs throughout the body, including the lungs—using various genetic sequencing approaches, as well as genome-wide CRISPR screening . ...