An anti-viral molecule, TBK-1, that the body uses to fight viruses, seems to be vital to the survival of cancer cells. Blocking one enzyme, aldose reductase, was found to stop colon cancer cells in cell culture laboratory tests and in mice implanted with human colon cancer cells, according to University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers. "We got the surprise that this mechanism is involved in cancer cell survival, even though it's normally involved in immune response," stated Dr. Michael White, associate professor of cell biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
"We found something a little bit different -- an Achilles heel of cancer cells that's apparently broadly conserved among many types of solid tumors. This is making us think that there are many other surprises awaiting discovery regarding biological systems that are inappropriately subverted during development of cancer."
The discovery is called dramatic and could lead to new treatments for colon cancer. If blocking a single anti-viral molecule does shut down the biochemical signals that promote inflammation and colon cancer cell growth, as the researchers are reporting from the results of this study, it will be a dramatic discovery.
