The molecule Ro 48-8071, initially developed for controlling cholesterol synthesis, can also ‘destroy’ human breast cancer cells according to Salmon Hyder, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Centre.
The molecule and its effects were discovered whilst conducting research into PRIMA-1, a drug which targets a common mutated gene in human breast cancer cells, and kills the tumour cells. Research into PRIMA-1 identified excellent binding properties to the protein Oxidosqualene Cyclase, which is important for producing cholesterol. These findings encouraged the research into Ro 48-8071 to stop cholesterol production and kill breast cancer cells.
Testing has identified that the mechanism utilised by PRIMA-1 to kill cancer cells may include shutting down cholesterol synthesis. The molecule Ro 48-8071 which was researched due to these results also stops cholesterol synthesis, and proved to be just as effective in destroying cancer cells as PRIMA-1, however without causing any harm to normal breast cells.
The results of this study are published in an article “An inverse docking approach identifying new potential anti-cancer targets” in the February Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modeling.
