Old Idea about Cancer is Grabbing Attention
In 1924, German biochemist Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells are extraordinarily greedy. Tumours tend to grow rapidly, so it made sense that they had outsized appetites. But Warburg also found that the way they burned, or metabolised, the resources they gobbled so hungrily was different. He was convinced that this change in metabolism defined cancer – and figuring out what drove it would let us beat the disease.
His idea caught on. For much of the 20th century, Warburg’s altered metabolism idea guided approaches to understanding and treating cancer. That all changed in the 1970s, with the discovery that certain gene mutations can cause cancer – and with it a sea change in how we might tackle the disease. Target the genes responsible, the new thinking went, and we could stop cancer in its tracks. Warburg’s ideas largely fell by the wayside.
But it turns out that the genetics of cancer is vastly diverse, and quickly comes to resist the carefully targeted drugs we throw at it. What’s more, it has become clear that many cancer-causing genes do in fact work by altering how cells burn their fuel. And so Warburg’s notions are coming back on board.
There are relatively few ways that tumours metabolise, and they are often the same across many cancers. By targeting these common pathways, we may get treatments that work for many different tumour types, and greater numbers of people. Cancer’s endless appetite might not just define it; it may be its Achilles’ heel.
Read more at www.newscientist.com
Trackback from your site.