A group of researchers from BHU, led by Dr. Samarendra Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science, has found a Micro RNA that eliminates cervical cancer cells in a targeted manner. The results of the study could, in the not too distant future, pave the way for the creation of a Micro RNA therapy that treats and eradicates cervical cancer.
During the course of the study, the research team led by Dr. Samarendra Singh and his Ph.D. scholar Ms. Garima Singh demonstrated that a human micro-RNA known as miR-34a had the ability to inhibit the viral E6 gene, which in turn turned off an oncogenic cell cycle factor, resulting in the death of only cervical cancerous cells. The finding is significant in the context of the development of a treatment that is both safer and more specific for the management of cervical cancer. During the course of the investigation, the researchers noted that neither abnormal nor non-cancerous cells showed any signs of suffering from an adverse consequence. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the only treatments for cervical cancer that are currently accessible. Unfortunately, both of these treatments have the potential to affect healthy cells as well, making them extremely hazardous and perhaps lethal. When finished, this study may prove to be an essential step toward the development of a treatment that is effective in curing cervical cancer. The results of the research were written up and presented in BMC Cancer, which is widely considered to be one of the most reputable journals in the field of cancer. Additionally, this is the very first study to demonstrate that miR-34a inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells through controlling the cell cycle.
The high risk human papillomavirus, also known as HR HPV, is the agent that causes 99% of instances of cervical cancer. This virus is responsible for reducing the number of tumor suppressors and checkpoint factors that are present in the host cell. Additionally, the viral proteins have the ability to stabilize a wide variety of oncogenic factors, such as the crucial cell cycle regulator Cdt2/DTL, which in turn encourages the transformation and proliferation of cells.
According to Dr. Samarendra Singh, microRNAs have recently emerged as a significant regulator of the cell cycle as well as a variety of other cellular functions. Although alterations in microRNAs have been connected with the development of a number of cancers and other disorders, very little is still understood about the process by which they regulate the events that occur within cells. “We have reported that the discovered micro-RNA destabilizes oncogenic proteins, which in turn suppresses the growth of infected cervical cancer cell lines,” he continued. “This, as a result, helps in containing cell proliferation, invasion, and migration capabilities of the HPV positive cervical cancer cells.”
Research on several types of cancer, particularly those of the gastrointestinal tract and cervix, is carried out in the laboratory of Dr. Samarendra Kumar Singh. In order to carry out their research, they make use of a wide variety of techniques from the fields of structural biology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. They are attempting to discover what causes cancer cells to behave abnormally during the cell cycle and how this comes about. Prior to this, their group discovered a method for diagnosing cancer by analyzing the amount of tumor DNA present in the serum of cervical cancer patients. This research was published in JCRT, which is a highly regarded journal in the field of cancer.
