(ANSA) – TRIESTE, APRIL 14 – 5-azacitidine is a drug authorized for the treatment of some blood diseases and is being studied against some solid tumors, such as hepatocellular carcinoma: a primary tumor of the liver with little possibility of cure and high mortality. A study coordinated by the University of Trieste reveals that 5-azacytidine blocks the growth and migration of cancer cells, laying a solid foundation for a new therapy in humans.
The study, published in Cancers, clarified, for the first time, some details of the molecular mechanism of action of the drug in hepatic carcinoma (or hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) cells. UniTs coordinated national (Federico II University of Naples, Pavia, Padua, CRO of Aviano) and international (Ljubljana, Slovenia; Brno, Czechia; Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam; Toronto, Canada) research groups.
Underlined prof. Gabriele Grassi, professor of clinical biochemistry at UniTs, coordinator of the study, that “there is no pharmacological treatment sufficiently effective to combat advanced liver cancer. For this reason, the scientific community is looking for new therapeutic strategies. 5-azacitidine or its derivatives, in the future, could be one of these and offer new hope to patients “.
5-azacitidine is a “demethylating” drug, ie capable of reducing the amount of particular chemical groups added to the DNA base sequence by the cells themselves, for regulatory purposes: a process known as DNA methylation. In many cancer cells, DNA methylation occurs abnormally and this allows the cells to acquire more ability to multiply and move in healthy tissues, colonizing them with new tumor foci or metastases. (HANDLE).
breaking latest news © Copyright ANSA
