JNCI: old medicine is new! Scientists find new targets and drugs for ovarian cancer

June 18, 2018 / BIOON / - most studies use large tumor tissue samples to obtain gene expression map, which makes it difficult to distinguish matrix tumor communication network In the past, researchers have found that the tumor matrix communication network with prognostic value can be identified by using microanatomic transcriptome, which provides an opportunity for the development of new ovarian cancer therapy Photo source: JNCI In order to find new targets for ovarian cancer, researchers from Anderson Cancer Research Center of Texas University and other units input the microanatomic transcriptional maps of ovarian cancer-related fibroblasts (CAFs) and ovarian cancer cells from 70 advanced ovarian cancer tissue samples into cccexplorer, a computer system biology project, to try to find out the communication network between different cells in the tumor microenvironment 。 The results were then used to look for older drugs that could treat ovarian cancer The researchers also studied the efficacy of a new drug in the treatment of ovarian cancer in mice with Dicer / PTEN double knockout The researchers found that in a small group of CAFs, TGF - β dependent and TGF - β independent Smad signals were activated, which was related to the poor survival rate of patients (patients with high expression of Smad regulatory gene in CAFs: total median survival time = 15 months, 95% confidence interval of 12.7-17.3 months, patients with low expression of Smad regulatory gene in CAFs: total median survival time = 26 months, 95% confidence interval of 15.9-36.1 months) 。 In addition, the researchers also found that the Smad signal activated in CAFs can be inhibited by calcitriol, a drug approved by FDA to inhibit the Smad cascade signal, thus inhibiting tumor growth in mice, inhibiting tumor progression and prolonging the median survival time of mice bearing ovarian cancer (from 36 weeks to 48 weeks) This study shows that using the new multicellular system biological model can easily find and utilize the existing drug targeting tumor mechanism communication network, which may help to find more effective cancer treatment methods faster Reference: Samuel C Mok et al Systematic identification of draggable epithalial – structural crosstalk signaling networks in ovarian cancer JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, djy097, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djy097