Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow have identified a potential new therapy that could halt the progression of bowel and liver cancers. The research, published in Nature Genetics, focuses on a protein called nucleophosmin (NPM1), which is found at elevated levels in these cancers due to genetic faults in the WNT signalling pathway.
The WNT pathway regulates cell multiplication, but cancer can exploit it to develop tumours. By inhibiting NPM1, researchers believe it may be possible to create novel treatments. Professor Owen Sansom, lead author and director of the institute, explained that NPM1 is not essential for normal adult tissue health, so blocking it could be a safe way to treat certain hard-to-treat bowel and liver cancers.
The study found that removing NPM1 makes cancer cells struggle to produce proteins properly, allowing a tumour suppressor to activate and prevent cancer growth. Around 4,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer annually in the UK, and it is Scotland's second leading cause of cancer death. Liver cancer claims about 670 lives each year in Scotland.
The research is part of the SpecifiCancer project, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, which examines why certain cancer-causing genes trigger cancers in particular tissues. Dr David Scott, director of Cancer Grand Challenges, hailed the breakthrough as demonstrating the power of collaborative research to transform understanding and treatment of cancer.
