Health security

 

Scientists kill cancer cells by “shutting the door” to the nucleus

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have shown that blocking the construction of nuclear pores complexes—large channels that control the flow of materials in and out of the cell nucleus—shrank aggressive tumors in mice while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The study, published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reveals a new Achilles heel for cancer that may lead to better treatments for deadly tumors such as melanoma, leukemia and colorectal cancer.

“Nuclear pore complexes are the ‘doors’ that all materials pass through to gain entry to the cell’s nucleus. Because cancer cells are rapidly growing and dividing they need and create more nuclear pore complexes than normal cells,” says Maximiliano D’Angelo, Ph.D., associate professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “Our study is the first to demonstrate that by blocking the formation of these nuclear ‘doors’ we can selectively kill cancer cells.”