Junk DNA “new weapon against childhood cancer – New Technology

“junk DNA” may play an important role in the fight against serious disease cancer neuroblastoma in children. Behind the discovery is Swedish researchers.

     The previously classified as “junk DNA” may play important role in both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in children. Photo: Colourbox
     

Neuroblastoma (nerve tissue tumors) is the third most common type of cancer in children. In Sweden hit about 20 children per year. Most people diagnosed before the age of two. Now Swedish researchers discovered that what was previously classified as “junk DNA” may play an important role in both the diagnosis of the disease and to determine how it should be treated.

Vi humans have about 20,000 genes, each of which produces a protein. But the vast majority of our genome does not. The majority (98.5 percent) has previously been called junk DNA. But as the new equipment to analyze our DNA has come on the market, researchers have discovered that it is not about rubbish but of genes that contain the blueprints for thousands of small and long molecules, which do not produce proteins without performing other important biological functions . These include NBAT-1 present in the cancer cell.

– Our studies show that neuroblastoma patients have lower levels of the molecule also has a worse prognosis, and therefore may need tougher treatment. The molecule could therefore be used both to assess the prognosis and in planning how aggressive neuroblastoma should be treated, says Professor Chandrasekhar Kanduri at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University.

The discovery was made in collaboration with researchers at the Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University. Scientists have analyzed neuroblastoma tumors from 108 Swedish children. Next, they tested the levels of NBAT-1 in a larger material of tumor cells collected from children in Belgium, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, UK and USA. The results have been published in the scientific journal Cancer Cell.

It is hoped that the molecule itself will eventually become a target for new drugs .

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