Breakthrough ecDNA discovery could revolutionize cancer research

Alfonso Maruccia

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Something to look forward to: A multi-disciplinary team of researchers has pinpointed the major role played by extrachromosomal DNA in the evolution of carcinogenic diseases. This kind of "external" oncogenes make cancer drug-resistant, and it could become one of the main targets for new and effective treatments in the future.

Extrachromosomal DNA, or ecDNA, is a piece of genetic material found outside of chromosomes in human cells. Chromosomes are the main repository for normal genetic material, providing instructions on how to behave, function or reproduce to the aforementioned cells. Genes that are found outside of chromosomes in other parts of the cell (besides Mitochondrial DNA) are a sign of potential carcinogenic activity, and they could very well be the main reason behind drug-resistance achieved by some of the most serious cancers known today.

A team of chemists, biologists, geneticists, mathematicians, and immunologists from California, UK and research centers in other parts of the world has discovered the fundamental role played by ecDNA in the spread and relapse of cancer. According to Howard Chang, a geneticist at Stanford University, oncogenes "hidden" inside ecDNA snippets of genetic material act like true "Bond villains" when it comes to making cancer such a difficult disease to treat and cure.

In a James Bond film, Chang explained, at first "you see different explosions, killings and disasters occurring" with no apparent explanation or main culprit. Later, "you finally meet the villain who is revealed to be the agent of all this mayhem." In this sense, ecDNA could be the main culprit for the strange behaviors scientists have seen in patients, like cancers spreading with unanticipated speed, drug-resistant tumors and relapses of previously cured cancers.

When normal genes stored in chromosomes start to behave erratically, cells can divide uncontrollably and turn into (benign) tumors or cancers. These so-called oncogenes can be targeted by specific drugs or therapies, but some of the most aggressive forms of cancer can develop a resistance to those drugs after a while. The secret recipe for cancer spreading, as it turns out, is that oncogenes hide within ecDNA before becoming active again.

Thanks to ecDNA, professor Charlie Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute in London said, oncogenes can almost completely disappear from a tumor and then come back after a patient stopped drug treatments. By using ecDNA, the "Bond villains" of carcinogenic activity can achieve "almost infinite adaptability."

The team of scientists received funding from the Cancer Grande Challenges initiative, a UK-registered charity created to promote progress in the global research against some of cancer's "toughest challenges." Now that ecDNA has been identified as a fundamental element for cancer research, scientists think they will have a lot of work to do in the coming years. Chang said that a first protein holding ecDNA together has been identified already.

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Could be one of two very simple reasons:

1) Further testing/research shows no actual useful results

2) Money. Can't make money if people are being cured and don't continue to be sick.
For option 2 there is also the flip side that big pharma may want to find a cure so they can patent it or some bs and sell it for obscene amounts
 
I hope it leads to something useful. Year after year for decades I read things about cancer research and very little ever seems to come to fruition.
For some cancers yes, like brain, lung and pancreatic, for many cancers there has been great progress, like childhood leukemia. Brain cancer has seen no new drugs in 40-50 years.

 
A number of recent discoveries along with gene editing promise a new generation of "miracle drugs" but unless they can bring the prices down significantly these cures and treatments will be only for the most wealthy and will encourage more talk about socialized medicine in order to make it available to the masses ....
 
If I got a dollar every time they said "this could result in better cancer cures" I could buy myself a new SUV with that money. The reason why medicine is basically stalling for the last 30 years is simple: The medical mafia don't wanna give us better cures or treatments.

If you introduce a rule in any reconfigurable system, the system will change itself to follow that rule. And in medical industry the rule is this: The more sick people, the more money. If everyone is healthy, no money. Since we have allowed such a stupid function to rule the industry, the industry has reconfigured itself. Now we're all sick. And those richest don't wanna see us healthy, as long as they can influence it.

Sure, there's also the opposite side, which wanna see medicine work as it should. But that side is slowly losing the war. As we can clearly see. So..... nope..... forget about the cancer cure. In fact, some of the diseases that are currently curable may become incurable in the future.
 
If I got a dollar every time they said "this could result in better cancer cures" I could buy myself a new SUV with that money. The reason why medicine is basically stalling for the last 30 years is simple: The medical mafia don't wanna give us better cures or treatments.

If you introduce a rule in any reconfigurable system, the system will change itself to follow that rule. And in medical industry the rule is this: The more sick people, the more money. If everyone is healthy, no money. Since we have allowed such a stupid function to rule the industry, the industry has reconfigured itself. Now we're all sick. And those richest don't wanna see us healthy, as long as they can influence it.

Sure, there's also the opposite side, which wanna see medicine work as it should. But that side is slowly losing the war. As we can clearly see. So..... nope..... forget about the cancer cure. In fact, some of the diseases that are currently curable may become incurable in the future.
Having worked in Pharma R&D for over a decade I can safely say your comment is a non-sense, paranoid delusion.
 
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