The technique, called “mito-priming”, has been hailed by researchers as a breakthrough in the fight against the disease.
Scientists
the Beatson Institute in Glasgow, which is run by Cancer Research UK
and closely linked to Glasgow University, developed the technique as a
research tool while trying to understand how cancer cells die.
The discovery means mito-priming can be applied to identify new
anti-cancer drugs to screen their effectiveness, in particular,
so-called “BH3-mimetics” medications.
BH3-mimetics, a new class of
cancer drugs developed to specifically kill tumor cells, target a
family of proteins called BCL-2 proteins, which function to keep cancer
cells alive. While not yet in use in clinical practice, BH3-mimetic anti-cancer drugs
are showing promise in late-stage clinical trials, particularly in the
treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
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