Revealing new mechanisms of STAT3 inhibition
Published: 2020-03-26
Facilitated by the SciLifeLab Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden (CBCS), researchers from Sweden and Canada have identified novel ways to inhibit STAT3 activity in cancer cells while revealing new mechanistic understanding of STAT3 biology.
Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden supported researchers in a cross-country study to identify and optimize a shortlist of compounds that can indirectly block STAT3-dependent gene expression. Mechanistic studies revealed that this effect was mediated through oxidation of a member of the Thioredoxin reductase family. With STAT3 being a crucial player in the development and progression of cancer, the scientists see this as a potential to intervene in deregulated STAT3 signaling in cancer cells.
For the full article please check the journal of Science Advances, ScilifeLab News and a related article on the Karolinska Institutet´s News.
Cancer cells makes themselves vulnerable to new drugs
Published: 2020-03-26
Researchers from SciLifeLab and Uppsala University have discovered a way to use the rapid mutation rate in cancer cells as a weapon against tumours. A new substance has shown promising results in both animal and human cancer cells. The results are published in Nature Communications.
A common phenomenon of cancer cells with rapid DNA alterations is bystander mutations in drug metabolic enzymes, leading to potential susceptibility for cytotoxic treatment. With the aim to exploit this concept, the leading scientists screened for small molecules impairing cancer cell growth and identified a cytotoxic kinase inhibitor as a potential candidate targeting cells with loss of NAT2 activity.
The study was led by researchers at several Swedish universities and was carried out with the help of the Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden and other Scilifelab infrastructures.
For the full article please check the journal of Nature Communications, ScilifeLab News and a related Press release.