The research at Princess Margaret has specifically focused on colon cancer and the role BMI-1 plays. What they managed to do is disarm the BMI-1 gene to stop colon cancer stem cells (see image below) from creating a new tumor. They did this by removing colon cancer cells including cancerous stem cells from patients with the disease and exposing the cultures to a new drug BMI-1 gene inhibiting drug that is still being developed and tested. The results – the cancer stem cells were disabled.
Cells from the same cancerous cell culture were also injected into mice specifically bred to tolerate human tissue transplants. The mice grew tumors within a few days. The drug treated cells were then injected into the mice, and then remnants of tumors in these mice were extracted and transplanted into a second group of mice. The results again showed a dramatic drop in cancer stem cells. The results of the study were published on the weekend in Nature Medicine.
For those in the medical field fighting cancer these findings provide a therapy that may permanently end a malignancy eliminating recurrence. The BMI-1 biomarker appears in 65% of patients with colon cancer. By inhibiting self-renewal of cancer cells in patients with the biomarker the recurrence of the disease which happens in about 50% of patients can be eliminated.
It is still too early for clinical trials but BMI-1 cancer treating drugs should be on the market within the next ten years and this research is the first step in getting us there.
