NFCR Scientists Open New Research Field To Find The Causes Of Cancer

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 21 Jan 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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One of the most fundamental questions facing research scientists today is how otherwise normal cells become cancerous. Scientists with the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) however are beginning to reveal the answers that will provide important clues to the root causes of cancer development, and this essential information will guide the development of new prevention strategies, more accurate cancer diagnostics, and more effective cancer therapies. Recent research results from a project funded by NFCR, published in the journal Nature, may lead scientists to the answers of this fundamental yet, extremely complicated question by approaching the problem from a new angle.

NFCR Fellow Paul Schimmel, Ph.D., and his team at Scripps Research Institute recently discovered a "quality control" process that human cells use to produce defect-free proteins in the body. Proteins, when in their correct forms, are key molecules that keep our bodies in their normal, healthy state; therefore, even small defects that are mistakenly built into proteins could cause profound problems. The findings from the Schimmel lab provide the first evidence of the existence of three different quality control checkpoints in the cell and explain, for the first time, how these checkpoints identify and correct the errors occurring during protein production.

The impact of this discovery is profound since the connection between errors in protein translation, an important step of protein production, and diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative conditions has not been fully investigated because the role of these checkpoints could not be confirmed. "The discovery made by Dr. Schimmel's team really opens a new research arena that will reinforce our efforts in uncovering the causes of cancer and related diseases," said Dr. Michael Wang, Vice President of Science at NFCR.

Data obtained through this research reveals the molecular mechanisms of the quality control function carried out by a group of cellular enzymes called aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetases. The new knowledge gained from this research is crucial. "Once we know how the system works, we will find out what makes it fail and causes diseases," said Dr. Schimmel. "And research in this new field will enable us to discover the underlying causes of cancer and other diseases and develop novel approaches for treatment."

Now Dr. Schimmel and his colleagues are conducting additional experiments to better understand these protein translation checkpoints. Collaborative projects with a number of other research groups have also been initiated, aimed at identifying genetic abnormalities that can lead to incorrect protein translation. "Every time we open a new pathway to understanding cancer, we come one step closer to developing the cures for cancer that have eluded us for generations," said Franklin C. Salisbury, President of NFCR. "Dr. Schimmel and his team have potentially changed the scope of research in cancer and how we look at its origins within the human body."

About NFCR

Since its founding, the NFCR has spent more than $240 million funding basic science cancer research and prevention education focused on understanding how and why cells become cancerous. NFCR is dedicated to funding scientists who are discovering cancer's molecular mysteries and translating these discoveries into therapies that hold the hope for curing cancer.

National Foundation for Cancer Research