Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have uncovered a promising breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment by identifying a weakness in tumors that could slow their growth by blocking key nutrients.
Kirk Staschke, PhD, and Ronald C. Wek, PhD, led a study published in Science Signaling that targets the amino acids prostate cancer cells need. Blocking the protein GCN2 slowed tumor growth, but the cancer adapted through another protein, p53. This discovery could lead to new treatment options for prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death in U.S. men.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Current treatments block testosterone, but tumors often become resistant, leaving few options.
Prostate cancer cells require large amounts of nutrients. When these run low, GCN2 signals the cells to produce more fuel. Shutting down GCN2 slowed tumor growth but didn’t kill the cells, leading to the discovery of p53 as a backup.
