‘Seductive’ New Method to Treat Cancer by Removing Amino Acids from Meat, Fish and Eggs from Patient’s Diet, Discovered in Mouse Study
- Serine is a protein building block that cancer cells need in extra amounts
- Thus, lowering the amino acid content has the potential to inhibit tumor growth
- However, many cancer cells are able to produce their own serine instead
- British experts propose a two-pronged approach, using a drug to stop serine production
- In a mouse model of colon cancer, their combination of diet and drugs slowed tumor growth
- However, they said more research is needed before using it in human patients
A diet low in serine, an amino acid found in meat, fish, and eggs – along with drugs to stop their production – may offer a new approach to cancer treatment.
As they grow more aggressively, cancer cells are more dependent on serine – a building block of proteins – than their healthy peers, suggesting possible weakness.
Previous studies in mice and human cells indicated that lowering serine levels can slow tumor growth, but many cancer cells are able to make their own.
In fact, the “KRAS mutation” that enables tumors to produce serine is found in 30 percent of all patients, and is common in difficult-to-treat colon and pancreatic cancer.
However, British researchers have shown that in mice containing a human colon cancer cell graft, tumor growth is slowed by low-serine diets and the drug PH755.
They reported that, encouragingly, PH755 caused few side effects in the animals – and the two-pronged approach could work against a variety of cancers.
However, further work on human cells and safety testing will be needed before this approach to treatment can be recommended for cancer patients.
A diet low in serine, an amino acid found in meat, fish and eggs (pictured) – combined with drugs to stop their production – may offer a new approach to cancer treatment
Prior to testing the dual approach in the mouse models, the team had seen promising results in both lab cell cultures and so-called organoids – 3D tumor models designed to mimic the complexity of real organs.
“The idea of developing nutritional interventions, based on understanding the mechanisms behind how changes in nutrients affect tumors, has the potential to unlock a powerful way to treat cancer,” said cancer biologist Karen Vousden.
“In the future, this could provide a basis for developing a precision medicine approach to nutrition as cancer therapy, just as we do with targeted drugs,” added Cancer Research UK chief scientist.
“By adapting each individual’s diet to the nutritional needs of cancer, people, among other therapies, can have the best chance of responding to treatment.”
“ While it is encouraging to see the potential of addressing cancer’s nutritional needs to help treat the disease, it’s important to remember that this is early research in mice and cells, ” said Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research chief nurse. UK.
“People with cancer shouldn’t change their diet in light of this,” he cautioned.
‘We need to see if this work translates into cancer in humans before testing whether dietary changes are helpful.’
“Understanding the fundamental biology of cancer through studies such as this is vital to revealing the true complexities of the disease and can shed light on new treatment options,” said Michelle Mitchell, CEO of Cancer Research UK.
“This research has given us a tantalizing look at how we can reverse dietary dependence on cancer, and we look forward to seeing if the approach works in humans.”
The full findings of the study are published in the journal Nature Communications.