NUS teams up against cancer
On 4 February, as the global community commemorates World Cancer Day, NUS researchers reaffirm their commitment to battling the deadly disease which claims 8.2 million lives each year, and is expected to claim 13 million yearly by 2030.
World Cancer Day aims to raise awareness, press governments and individuals into action, and unite the world in the fight against cancer. Despite the dismal statistics, it is promising to note that scientists across the world are continually learning more about the disease and conducting groundbreaking research in an attempt to reduce its devastating impact.
At the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), researchers are actively involved in immunotherapy studies, whereby a patient’s own immune system recognises and kills cancer cells instead of cytotoxic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The revolutionary approach uses antibodies known as immune checkpoint inhibitors, which block the proteins expressed on cancer cells that evade detection and removal by the body’s immune cells. With the inhibitory signals gone, the immune cells are free to kill.
“Using checkpoint inhibitors is similar to training up an army to fight against the cancer instead of employing mercenaries, which are what chemotherapies are like — you send them in to do the job, then they leave,” explained NUS Pharmacology Adjunct Professor Goh Boon Cher, who also heads the Department of Haematology-Oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS). NCIS is a national specialist centre under the National University Health System. In addition to focusing on clinical care and academic leadership, many of its clinicians, like Prof Goh, are affiliated with NUS Medicine and involved in innovative research in novel drug development and improved cancer treatments.
Another study conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School and the National Heart Centre Singapore uncovered a new gene that controls blood vessel formation. Through a process called angiogenesis, blood vessels form a network that sustains life by providing nutrients to all parts of the body. Angiogenesis inhibition is commonly used in cancer treatment to starve the tumour of the nutrients necessary for survival. Led by Professor Stuart Cook, Tanoto Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the team found that the gene Wars2 played an important role in angiogenesis and provided a new target for anti-cancer therapies.
Researchers at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore at NUS are similarly making waves in the field. Assistant Professor Sudhakar Jha discovered that controlling the levels of a tumour suppressor called TIP60 could potentially prevent the spread of breast cancer cells as the protein interacts with two other proteins called DNMT1 and SNAIL2 to inhibit metastasis. Another team, led by Dr Ruby Huang, identified a molecule called AXL which interacts with other proteins to form a cellular pathway for the spread of an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. The findings suggest that blocking AXL could be an effective treatment option for patients.
With many more examples of game changing research taking place, there is hope that through concerted action, the hydra-headed beast will finally be tamed.
