SCIENCE DAILY: Finding hints at novel target for Ewing sarcoma therapy
Originally Published by: Science Daily
New insights into Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive childhood cancer, were published July 15 in the journal Nature. Researchers from the Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio contributed to the study.
Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue cancer that primarily affects children and adolescents. The discovery, made by scientists at the University of Toronto, relates to cell structures called nucleoli and a physical change they undergo called phase separation.
The Toronto team observed that to form normal nucleoli, a structure must be made in the DNA. This is accomplished by the delicate balance of two different, but opposing, genetic code-reading machines. If these systems are not in balance, nucleoli lose their form and break up into smaller entities, the team found.
Study author Alexander J.R. Bishop, DPhil, of UT Health San Antonio, with team members at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, previously showed that one of the genetic code-reading machines is overactive in Ewing sarcoma. In the newly published study, they confirmed that, in Ewing sarcoma, this overactivity causes the nucleoli to break up into smaller entities.
Since 2004, UT Health San Antonio, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute’s (Greehey CCRI) mission has been to advance scientific knowledge relevant to childhood cancer, contribute to understanding its causes, and accelerate the translation of knowledge into novel therapies. Greehey CCRI strives to have a national and global impact on childhood cancer by discovering, developing, and disseminating new scientific knowledge. Our mission consists of three key areas — research, clinical, and education.
Stay connected with the Greehey CCRI on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.