A new gene therapy technique prevents breast cancer from metastasizing read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/917-a-new-gene-therapy-technique-prevents-breast-cancer-from-metastasizing

The development of malignant cells around the body known as metastasis, is the leading cause of mortality in women with breast cancer.

Researchers at MIT developing a new gene therapy technique by showing a way to prevent breast cancer tumors from metastasizing. The treatment uses microRNAs, small noncoding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression to control metastasis.

Natalie Artzi, a principal research scientist at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) and her team, says, the idea is that if the cancer is diagnosed early enough, then in addition to treating with chemotherapy, one could also treat with specific microRNAs, in order to prevent the spread of cancer cells that cause metastasis.

Regulation of gene expression by microRNAs is known to be important in preventing the spread of cancer cells. For example, by genetic variants known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), can have a significant impact on gene expression levels and lead to an increase in the risk of cancer.

To identify the specific microRNAs, the research team first carried out an extensive Bioinformatics analysis. They compared three data sets, one for known SNPs, a second for sites at which microRNAs bind to the genome, and a third of breast cancer related genes known to be associated with the movement of cells.

This analysis revealed an SNP, known as rs1071738, which influences metastasis. This SNP disrupts binding of two microRNAs, miR-96 and miR-182. This disruption prevents the two microRNAs from controlling the expression of a protein called Palladin.

“Previous research had discussed the role of Palladin in controlling migration and invasion of cancer cells, but no one had tried to use microRNAs to silence those specific targets and prevent metastasis,” Artzi says.

In this way researchers developed a method to deliver engineered microRNAs to breast cancer tumors. They embedded nanoparticles containing the microRNAs into a hydrogel scaffold, which they implanted into mice.

They found that, allowed efficient and precise delivery of the microRNAs target breast cancer tumor site. The treatment resulted in a dramatic reduction in breast cancer metastasis.

To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, researchers then added the chemotherapy drug cisplatin to the nanoparticles. This led to a significant reduction in both the growth of the primary tumor, and its metastasis.