A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how an amino acid might be vital to understanding oral cancers. UPPER AERODIGESTIVE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA affects over half a million people yearly, with few effective treatments available.
Assistant Professor Dechen Lin’s research at Ostrow’s Center shows that a specific amino acid pathway could be crucial for stopping oral cancer growth, suggesting a special diet might help.
Lin noticed that methionine, an amino acid found in high amounts in oral cancers, could be vital to understanding the disease. Since methionine must be consumed through diet and is found in foods like shrimp, eggs, and beef, his team studied how it moves in cells via a transporter called LAT1.
They explored its role by blocking LAT1 in animal models. Their paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that methionine could be used in new treatments. Unlike traditional therapies, targeting methionine with drugs and diet might offer a more practical approach with fewer side effects.
Lin and his team found that a special low-methionine diet slowed tumor growth in animal models and lab-grown tissues from actual patients, cutting growth by half compared to a regular diet. Methionine is crucial for cancer cells, so removing it causes cancer cells to die, while normal cells are less affected.
Lin is working with the Keck School of Medicine on a clinical trial for this diet in oral cancer patients. He hopes to find out which patients might benefit the most and potentially cure cancer cells while protecting normal cells.
The Ostrow research team has discovered key factors behind head and neck cancers. Their findings could lead to new treatment options and improve understanding of these aggressive cancers. This research provides hope for better therapies and outcomes for patients.
Journal reference:
- Chehyun Nam, Li-Yan Li, Qian Yang, et al., A druggable cascade links methionine metabolism to epigenomic reprogramming in squamous cell carcinoma. PNAS. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320835121.