‘Seductive’ new method of treating cancer by removing amino acids in meat, fish and eggs from the patient’s diet is being discovered in mouse study.
- Serine is a protein building block that requires cancer cells in extra amounts
- Thus, lowering amino acid levels has the potential to inhibit tumor growth.
- However, many cancer cells can produce their own serine
- British experts suggest a dual approach to using a drug to stop serine production
- In a mouse model of bowel cancer, their diet-drug combination delayed tumor growth
- According to them, more research is needed before it is used on human patients
A low-series diet, an amino acid in meat, fish and eggs – along with drugs to stop its production – could offer a new approach to cancer treatment.
As they grow more aggressively, cancer cells are more dependent on series – a protein building block – than their healthy counterparts, indicating a possible weakness.
Previous studies in mice and human cells have shown that lowering serial levels can slow the growth of the tumor, but many cancer cells can make their own.
In fact, the ‘KRAS mutation’ that enables tumors to produce serine is found in 30 percent of all patients, and is common in cancers that are very difficult to treat in the gut and pancreas.
However, British researchers have shown that, in mice containing a vaccine containing human intestinal cancer cells, the growth of the tumor is delayed by low serine diets and the drug PH755.
They state that PH755 is encouraging, that it causes few side effects in the animals, and that the dual approach may work against a variety of cancers.
However, further work on human cells and safety tests will be needed before this approach to treatment for cancer patients can be recommended.
A low-series diet, an amino acid in meat, fish and eggs (pictured) – along with drugs to stop its production – could offer a new approach to cancer treatment
Before testing the dual approach in the mouse models, the team saw promising results in both cell cultures in the laboratory and in so-called organoids – 3D tumor models designed to mimic the complexity of real organs.
“The idea of being able to develop dietary interventions, based on the understanding of mechanisms behind how changes in nutrients affect tumors, has the potential to unlock a powerful way to treat cancer,” said cancer biologist Karen Vousden.
“In the future, it could provide a basis for developing a precise drug approach to diet as cancer therapy, just as we do with targeted drugs,” said the lead scientist from Cancer Research UK.
“Personalizing each person’s diet to determine the nutritional needs of cancer can, along with other treatments, give people the best opportunity to respond to treatment.”
“While it is encouraging to see what the potential is to promote cancer’s nutritional needs to help treat the disease, it is important to remember that this is early research on mice and cells,” said Martin Ledwick, head of information on nurse, said.
“People with cancer should not change their diet in light of this,” he warns.
“We need to see if this work translates into cancer in humans before we test whether dietary changes are helpful.”
“Understanding the fundamental biology of cancer through studies such as this is crucial to revealing the true complexity of the disease, and it may shed light on new treatment options,” said Michelle Mitchell, CEO of Cancer Research UK, said.
“This research has given us a tantalizing look at how we can reverse the dependence of cancer on it, and we look forward to seeing if the approach works in humans.”
The full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Communications.