By Admin at 21 Sep 2016, 15:31 PM

Cancer cells are able to divide rapidly and therefore may quickly spread throughout the human body. They rely, in part, on fat synthesis to support this growth. While healthy cells also create fat molecules to build membranes and other cellular structures, cancer cells are particularly reliant on fat synthesis for rapid growth.

Researchers from the Salk Institute in California hypothesized that halting fat synthesis in cancer cells may essentially stop their growth, and they recently figured out a way to test out their hypothesis — with exciting results.

The researchers worked in partnership with Nimbus Therapeutics, a Boston-based biotech company that developed a molecule to shut off Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (ACC), an enzyme that plays a role in fat synthesis. The compound, an ACC inhibitor called ND-646, was tested in both animal models of cancer and transplanted human lung cancer cells.

Compared to untreated animals, tumors in animals treated with ND-646 shrank by about two-thirds. In addition, when ND-646 was combined with carboplatin, which is a commonly used treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, 87 percent of the tumors were suppressed (compared to 50 percent of tumors treated with carboplatin only).

The discovery is all the more remarkable because the combination ND-646 and carboplatin treatment appeared to significantly stifle cancer growth without impairing normal healthy cells. Salk Institute researcher Robert Svensson said in a news release:

"We found surprisingly well-tolerated dosing with some of these novel ACC inhibitors that have broad bioavailability and should not be far away from what would be needed to initiate clinical trials.”

It’s the first time researchers have demonstrated that stopping cancer cells’ fat synthesis could stunt tumor growth and potentially stop the cancer. Further, the therapy may not be far off from clinical trial stage, which means it may soon offer a new tool for fighting cancer. Salk Professor Reuben Shaw explained in a news release:

"This is the first time anyone has shown that this enzyme, ACC, is required for the growth of tumors and this represents compelling data validating the concept of being able to target fat synthesis as a novel anticancer approach.

… The implications are that we have a very promising drug for clinical trials for subtypes of lung cancer as well as liver and other types of cancer. This represents a new weapon in the arsenal to fight cancer."

Sources:
Nature Medicine September 19, 2016
Science Daily September 19, 2016

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