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In a world-first, researchers found that the drugs could potentially be used to fight bowel cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers were using Nobel Prize-winning genetic screening technology CRISPR to identify new targets for bowel cancer <\/a>tumours when they realised that the gene KMT2A – usually associated with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia – promotes bowel cancer. It does this by fuelling uncontrolled growth of the tumour, and encouraging the cancer cells ability to \u2018self-renew\u2019, preventing the tumour from regression or differentiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They then trialled two agents that inhibit KMT2A and found that these block bowel cancer growth and self-renewal, with very little damage to normal cells. These inhibitors are very similar to others which are currently in clinical trials to treat leukaemia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTargeting this gene, KMT2A, reverses the aggressiveness of bowel cancer cells, and re-educates them to become normal cells,\u201d said Dr Chunhua Wan, first author of the paper published in Science Advances<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Targeted therapy is a relatively new way of treating bowel cancer. It has many advantages over conventional therapies such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as it only affects cancer cells, is better tolerated by patients and has fewer side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDue to limited therapeutic options, bowel cancer patients, especially those diagnosed at late stages, have very poor outcomes. Our findings may pave the way to developing new targeted therapies and benefit the treatment of bowel cancer patients,\u201d said Associate Professor Ron Firestein<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKey Points<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How targeted therapy works against bowel cancer <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n