NCI / UNSPLASH
A new scientific progress of genetic editing of adipose cells showed potential to combat cancer, “hungry” cancer cells.
A study this Tuesday in Nature Biotechnology revealed that adipose cells have the ability to absorb all the nutrients around them and “Smoke the cancer cells.
The University of California investigation in San Francisco (UCSF) showed how adipose cells can monopolize the resources or nutrients of tumors and defeat up to five types of cancer in laboratory experiences.
As Lusa details, the researchers took as reference the techniques of Extraction of liposuction adipos cells and their subsequent reimplantation by plastic surgery.
Used genetic editing technology to convert normal white fat cells into beige fat cells, which consume calories voraciously to generate heat.
Then they implemented us near tumors in experiments with rats, similarly when plastic surgeons inject fat from one body part to increase another.
The result was that Fat cells absorbed all nutrients and “hungry” most of the tumor cells.
The result was effective even when fat cells were implanted in areas of the tumor mouse body.
“Since this is a well -known technique in plastic surgery, we could accelerate its application as cellular therapy against cancer,” said one of the study authors, Nadav AhituvSpecialist in Genetics and Bioengineering at UCSF, quoted in the university.
Researchers used CRISPR genetic technology to activate genes that consume a lot of energy (UCP1) in white fat cells where they are not naturally present.
“In the first experience, Very few cancer cells survived. We thought we should have made a mistake, but we repeated several times and continue to see the same effect, ”said Ahituv.
Effective against common cancers
Adipose cells killed two different types of cancer cells mamaas well as cancer cells of colon, pancreas e prostate.
To test whether the implanted fat cells would function in a more realistic human context, they resorted to adipose organoids (three -dimensional replicas of human organs created from stem cells).
The method has returned to the breast, pancreas and prostate cancer again: cancer cells starved as fat cells devoured all available nutrients.
In a separate experience, Jennifer Rosenbluth, a UCSF breast cancer specialist, tested the efficacy of the technique in breast cancer mastectomy samples that contained fat cells and cancer cells.
“Because the chest is very greasy, we can get fat from the patient, modify it and cultivate it in a single experience with the patient’s breast cancer cells,” said Ahituv.
Knowing that each tumor has preferred nutrients, researchers have modified fat to consume only certain nutrients, and the result was effective.
“This indicates that Fat can adapt to food preferences of any kind of cancer, ”added the investigator.
