Scientists reveal potential new approach to treating liver cancer

Experts in Boston have uncovered a possible new approach against live cancer that could lead to the development of a new class of anticancer drugs.

In a series of experiments conducted in cells and on mice, scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, found that an enzyme produced in liver cancer cells could convert a group of compounds into anti-cancer drugs, killing cells and reducing disease in animals.

Researchers suggest that this enzyme could become a potential target for the development of new drugs against liver cancers.

‘We found a molecule that kills cells in a rare liver cancer in a unique way,’ said Translational Scientist Matthew Hall, Ph.D. ‘It emerged from a screening to find molecules that selectively kill human liver cancer cells. It took a lot of work to figure out that the molecule is converted by an enzyme in these liver cancer cells, creating a toxic, anticancer drug.’

The findings, which were supported by the MGH Fund for Medical Discovery Award, stem from a collaboration between Massachusetts General hospital and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences researchers. Together they discovered several molecules, including one called YC-1, which could kill liver cancer cells.

Scientists showed that whilst liver cancer cells make an enzyme known as SULT1A1, it activates YC-1, making it toxic to tumour cells in cancer cell cultures and mouse models of liver cancers.

In the animal models, which were treated with YCI, experts found the liver tumours either had reduced growth or shrank.

Conversely, researchers found no changes in tumours treated with YC-1 in animals with cancer cells lacking the enzyme.

Following this, scientists identified several classes of compounds that relied on SULT1A1 for their tumour-killing activity. Using computational methods, they predicted other compounds that were also likely to be dependent on SULT1A1.

‘Once we found SULT1A1 activated YC-1, it led us to ask, ‘What other compounds are active and can kill cells by the same mechanism?” Hall said. ‘Can we identify other compounds that were being developed and demonstrate that they were also active because of SULT1A1 activation? The answer was yes. We found other compounds with the same mechanism of action as YC-1.’

After the experiments provided positive outcomes, the scientists suggest these findings have broader implications for developing new anticancer drugs.

According to research from Cancer UK between 2016-2018, there were 6,214 new cases of liver cancer each year and between 2017-2019 5,830 people died from the disease in the UK.

The study containing the findings from the scientists experiment were published yesterday and can be found in the online journal Nature Cancer.

Image: National Cancer Institute