Chemists block a crucial gear for cell immortality
Cell immortality is one of the hallmarks associated with cancer. An organic chemist at Northwestern University and his team have now developed a promising tool that targets and blocks one of the underlying gears for cell immortality: the enzyme, telomerase.
Researchers are interested in this enzyme because it is overexpressed by approximately 90% of cancerous cells. Telomerase is a gene that normally does not express in normal cells.
Karl A. Scheidt led the research. \”Telomerase, the primary enzyme which allows cancer cells to survive forever\”, he said. \”We want short-circuiting this immortality. We have now designed a small molecule, a first of its kind, that irreversibly bonds to telomerase and shuts down its activity. This mechanism opens up a new way to treat cancer and understand cellular aging.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2020-03-chemists-inhibit-critical-gear-cell.html
