Clearly I'm not a medicine bio person - but this just had to make it onto the blog.
Researchers at Burnham Institute for Medical Research ("Burnham") have provided the first evidence that gamma-secretase, an enzyme key to the progression of Alzheimer's, acts as a tumor suppressor by altering the pathway of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a potential treatment target for cancer. Expedited to publication online by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these findings reveal a limitation of targeting gamma-secretase for treatment of Alzheimer's and potentially other diseases.
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is found inside all cells. Though its function is unknown, it is associated with Alzheimer's in the following way. APP can be cleaved by the enzymes beta-secretase and gamma-secretase, sequentially. Upon gamma-secretase cleavage, amyloid-beta (AB) peptides are dispelled into the extracellular matrix region and eventually aggregate into senile plaques, characteristic of Alzheimer's.
Residing inside cells, gamma-secretase is a complex of four proteins, including a family of proteins known as the presenilins (PS). Mutations in PS are found in approximately 5% of individuals suffering Alzheimer's, resulting in early onset of the disease.
At the center of the activities governing AB production is gamma-secretase, the subject of intensive interest as a potential therapy target for Alzheimer's. Mice deficient in PS/gamma-secretase activity tend to develop skin cancer. EGFR is known to be upregulated in a variety of tumors, including various skin cancers. Elevated EGFR levels in tumors are linked with poor clinical prognosis and tumor resistance to chemotherapy. EGFR is therefore the subject of intensive investigation by pharmaceutical companies as a potential treatment target for cancer.
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Are there any other diseases that have contributed as directly to the treatment of another? (ok... I know this hasn't practically contributed to the treatment of brain tumors yet... but you get the point and hopefully soon it will!)
And if you don't recognize the picture... It's a brain tumor from Family Guy :)
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Sickle cell anaemia and malaria surely? Although I guess that's more prevention than treatment...
Also people with Down's syndrome and Parkinson's disease have much lower risks of many cancers.
The use of enzymes associated with other diseases for cancer treatment can pose certain risks due to their potential negative effects on the human body. This would require much more research just to be sure that patients will have the advantages and little or none of the disadvantages. It would be good to have treatments that don't have disease-producing characteristics. One treatment being looked at is the use of cancer drugs called photosensitizers, which are activated by laser light to destroy tumors. More of that news here: http://thenewsroom.com/details/305315/Health?c_id=wom-bc-ar
- Alvin from The Health Desk at TheNewsRoom.com