Scientists have figured out how to starve pancreatic cancer cells
Replacing an important nutrient with its counterpart starves pancreatic cancer.Scientists have discovered that replacing a nutrient on which pancreatic cancer cells depend for survival and growth with a "copycat" version of it starves the cancer, slowing its spread. The discovery will help develop an entirely new approach to treating this deadly type of cancer.
"Pancreatic tumors are typically packed in dense connective tissue. It 'hides' them and cuts off their oxygen supply. Therefore, these cancers have unique metabolic properties compared to other tumors," explains Cosimo Commisso, study author.
What sets pancreatic cancer apart from other cancers is its dependence on the nutrient glutamine, which its cells use to survive and reproduce. For the new study, the scientists used the compound 6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (6-Diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, DON). It is structurally similar to glutamine, but cannot be used as a fuel source. It has been shown to slow tumor growth and stop tumor development and spread.
The researchers combined DON with an existing cancer treatment to block the cells' access to another important nutrient, asparagine.
"With DON, cancer cells are unable to use glutamine but can start to depend on other nutrients as a reserve, including asparagine. We thought that if we could prevent them from using glutamine and asparagine, tumors would have no choice," the scientists wrote.
Cells need asparagine to make proteins and create new cells. And L-asparaginase is a chemotherapy drug that breaks down asparagine, inhibiting cell division and growth. The researchers observed that the combination of DON and L-asparaginase had a synergistic effect, helping to prevent pancreatic tumors from spreading to other organs.
Although DON has undergone early clinical trials as a treatment for lung cancer and L-asparaginase is already in use, this is the first time the two drugs have been combined for a single therapy.
The study is published in the journal Nature Cancer.