Hope for Cancer Cure After Stem Cell Breakthrough

A research team has achieved a major success in triggering a cancer-like response by disrupting a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells.

In a major breakthrough, researchers have succeeded in triggering a cancer-like response by disrupting a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells.

Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, working with collaborators at Tufts and Tuebingen Universities, said that they could trigger responses like increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs.

About Cancer in Women
Cancer is one of the frequently talked about and most feared disease that falls under the genre of lifestyle diseases that have evolved, rather rapidly, in the past two decades.

The researchers said that their study suggested that electrical signals were a powerful control mechanism that could be used to modulate cell behaviour.

Dr. Michael Levin, the Director of the Forsyth Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, revealed that the team had identified a new function for a potassium (KCNQ1) channel, mutations of which are known to be involved in human genetic diseases such as Romano-Ward and Jervell-Lange-Nielsen syndromes.

He said that interrupting the flow of potassium through KCNQ1 in parts of the Xenopus frog embryo resulted in a striking alteration of the behaviour of one type of embryonic stem cell: the pigment cell lineage of the neural crest.

Breast Cancer - Causes, Risks, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Staging, Treatment, Prevention & Prognosis
Breast cancer is a cancer that affects the breasts or mammary glands. Early detection and lifestyle changes help in controlling breast cancer.

When mutated, the pigment cells over-proliferated, spread out, and became highly invasive of blood vessels, liver, heart, and neural tube, leading to a deeply hyper-pigmented tadpole.

The observations made during the study showed that key properties of embryonic stem cells could be controlled through bioelectrical signals, and that potassium flows could be an important aspect of cellular environment, which is known to regulate both cancer and stem cells.

Oral Cancer | Mouth Cancer - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention
Oral cancer is a cancer that develops in any part of the mouth. It is more common in men over 40.

"In regenerative medicine, a key goal is to control the number, position, and type of cells. This research is especially exciting because it shows the importance of electrical signals for changing cell behaviour, identifies a new role in developmental and cell biology for the KCNQ1 ion channel, and strengthens the link between stem cells and tumour cells," said the paper's first author, Junji Dr. Morokuma.

Dr. Doug Blackiston, who jointly wrote the research paper, added: "In the future, this work may lead to a greater understanding of the causes of cancer and ways to potentially halt its metastasis, as well as suggesting new techniques by which stem cells may be controlled in biomedical applications."

Liver Cancer
Liver is the largest organ inside the human body. It performs 500 different functions and processes 720 liters of blood per day. The important functions of the liver, the development of liver cancer and it’s symptoms are presented in this interactive.

An article on the research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Source-ANI
RAS/SK