National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) scientists have published research showing that inhibition of a specific gene can help suppress prostate cancer — a finding they said could pave the way for new treatments within five years.
While prostate cancer was responsible for 1,689 deaths in Taiwan last year, ranking as the country’s fifth-deadliest type of cancer, its five-year survival rate is almost 100 percent in cases where it is caught before it has metastasized, or spread to other parts of the body.
At a news conference on Monday, a research team from the NHRI’s Institute of Cellular and System Medicine shared their findings regarding the role of a gene known as KDM4C in the metastasis of prostate cancer.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The research focused on a process called the Warburg effect, which refers to the preference of cancer cells to metabolize glucose anaerobically, or without oxygen, NHRI associate researcher Chuu Chih-pin (褚志斌) said, adding that the process is significantly faster, but less efficient than the normal way cells produce energy.
The result of this process is the rapid production of metabolites, which provide energy to cancer cells, as well as lactic acid, which helps them metastasize, Chuu said.
In its research, the team found that in cases where KDM4C expression was eliminated, the process of metabolizing glucose and the production of lactic acid in the cancer cells were significantly suppressed, he said.
The team’s discovery could result in the development of treatments to inhibit KDM4C expression and prevent the spread of prostate cancer, Chuu said.
Pending clinical trials, such treatments could be market-ready within five years, he added.
The team’s research was published in the March issue of the international scientific journal Clinical and Translational Medicine.
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