Growth of Deadly Brain Cancer Cell Can be Slowed Down Chemically, New Study Reveals

Inhibiting a key enzyme that controls a large network of proteins important in cell division and growth leads the way for a new class of drugs that could stop a deadly brain cancer from growing, a new study suggests. “By inhibiting one protein, PRMT5, we were able to affect a cascade of proteins involved in cell division and growth,” said researcher Cheryl Arrowsmith from the University of Toronto. For the study, the team tested a group of new experimental small molecules designed to specifically inhibit key cellular enzymes being developed and studied to see if any would stop the growth of glioblastoma brain tumour cells in the laboratory. They found that specific molecules precursors to actual therapeutic drugs –inhibited the same enzyme, PRMT5, stopping the growth of a large portion of these patient-derived cancer stem cells.But they also caution that actual treatments for patients are many years away, and require development and testing of clinically appropriate and safe versions of PRMT5 inhibitors that can access the brain.