The findings have been detailed in a paper published online by Nature Communications.
By Raghavendra M
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In a discovery that could lead to more targeted and effective treatments for certain lung and prostate cancers, a team of researchers lead by an Indian American scientist has discovered two new cancer-causing gene mutations.
The researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have discovered that cancers with the newly discovered mutations in the MCM8 and MCM9 genes are likely to respond extremely favorably to some drugs already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration against breast cancers with the well-known BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, a statement said.
Dr. Anindya Dutta, lead researcher and professor at University of Virginia School of Medicine, said, “one of the biggest problems in cancer is that we hit everything with the same hammer, and consequently some cancers are responsive and others are not. Imagine if you could find the perfect hammer for the nail – the famous personalized therapy”.
“If a patient has BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, then the perfect hammer is cisplatin and olaparib. Similarly, [for other cancers,] if you could break them up into those with mutations in MCM8 and MCM9, and then hit them hard with olaparib and cisplatin, we predict that there will be much better responsiveness.”
As of now, there is no commercially available diagnostic test for the MCM8 and MCM9 mutations, though they could be revealed via whole genome sequencing.
Dutta, however, said that a much simpler test can be designed.
The findings have been detailed in a paper published online by Nature Communications.