Forcing Cancer to Digest Itself

When tumour cells no longer degrade themselves, cancer may develop. Using black skin cancer as an example, Bern Researchers have now shown that a protein plays an important role in the process of degradation of tumour cells. By reactivating this degradation therapeutically, you can virtually force tumours to digest themselves.

Cells are able to degrade damaged molecules as well as entire areas of cells by self-digestion and use the resulting degradation products to gain energy and to produce new molecules or parts of cells. This process of self-digestion is called autophagy and can be considered a renovation of the cell. Energy production through autophagy plays an important role for cells when they are lacking nutrients, oxygen or growth factors.

A team of researchers of the University of Bern under the direction of Hans-
Uwe Simon of the Institute of Pharmacology has now found out that a reduced self-digestion of tumour cells may contribute to the development of a melanoma. The discoveries demonstrate new therapy approaches for the treatment of black skin cancer. The study is being published today in “Science Translational Medicine”.

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