The discovery of dark matter may alter cancer treatment
Researchers have learned more about the enigmatic function of epigenetics, the study of how genes change, in regulating the growth of tumors
It is sometimes referred to as "dark matter," and studies from The Institute of Cancer Research reveal that it may change how cancer is identified and treated.
Additionally, it might result in novel disease-related diagnostics that could be used to better target therapies.
However, this is still a long way off, and research is just just getting started.
The DNA code's structural variations that are passed down across generations come to mind when most people think of genetics.
The mechanism by which these gene changes promote the spread of malignancies has so received considerable attention
But in recent years, researchers have uncovered another phenomenon known as epigenetics that is less clear-cut.
Epigenetics is the study of how a person's environment and behavior can influence how their genes function.
Your epigenetics alter as you get older, as well as in reaction to your environment and lifestyle.
Although epigenetics cannot change the DNA coding, it can regulate how genes are accessed and is increasingly recognized as having a significant impact on the development of cancer.
We've revealed an additional degree of control over how tumors behave, which we liken to cancer's "dark matter," according to Prof. Trevor Graham, director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.
He explained to the Teto1.online that "tangles in lines of DNA" can occur as they fold up in each cell, changing which genes get read
According to him, the location of the tangles can have a significant impact on how a tumour behaves
It won't immediately alter clinical care, but Prof. Graham suggested that it might open the door to the creation of novel treatments
Only a portion of a person's cancer is revealed by genetic testing for cancer mutations, such as BRCA, which raises the risk of breast cancer
We may be able to forecast the most effective cancer treatments much more precisely by testing for both genetic and epigenetic changes, according to Prof. Graham
The results are presented in two publications published in Nature; the first examined more than 1,300 samples from 30 cases of colon cancer and demonstrated that epigenetic alterations were frequent in malignant cells and aided their expansion more than in other types of cells
The second paper examined a large number of samples obtained from various locations inside the same tumor. It was shown that mechanisms other than DNA abnormalities frequently control the growth of cancer cells
More research is required, according to the researchers, to demonstrate that epigenetic changes directly cause modifications in how malignancies behave
