Disrupting Tumor Metabolism Could Stop Cancer

(CONNECT) In order for cancer cells to multiply unchecked, they must reprogramme the metabolism of healthy cells and use it to develop their own DNA. Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the Children's Hospital Zurich are currently looking for new ways to stop the growth of these dangerous cancer cells. To this end, they aim to directly interfere with the metabolism of tumor cells and halt it, according to a press release.

Cancer cells use polyamine metabolism to reproduce components of their DNA and then multiply. In conventional cancer treatment, chemotherapy is used to disrupt this metabolic process. These therapies are effective in adults, but not in cases of cancer affecting children and adolescents. Raphael Morscher and his team, who work at the University of Zurich and the Children's Hospital, are researching the metabolic mechanisms of neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that affects 15 to 20 children in Switzerland each year. These neuroblastomas are malignant tumors that develop from immature nerve cells in the abdomen, chest, or along the spine. “In high-risk cases, only half of the affected children survive despite high-dose chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, surgery, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy,” Morscher is quoted as saying in the press release.

The research team led by Morscher and Sarah Cherkaoui has developed a drug called difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) that can inhibit the metabolic processes involved in the production of polyamines. These polyamines are composed of the amino acids proline and arginine. Experiments with mice also showed that a diet low in proline and arginine can more than double the drug's effect.

The research is being conducted as part of the National Research Priority " Children & Cancer." In the coming years, Morscher plans to conduct even more detailed research into the metabolism of cancer cells as part of this research focus in order to develop effective therapies. ce/ww