Thursday, March 13, 2014

The Blocking Of PLD To Help Brain Cancer

By Rob Sutter


If you were to ask a group of people why brain cancer would rise to the surface, the various answers given will show that there is no concrete reasoning. Enzymes could play a role in the matter, as it's been said that they can trigger and make this condition progress. This is especially true when focusing on glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of cancer in this regard. Focusing on enzymes, though, what can be done in order to stop them in their tracks?

According to a Futurity article, it appears as though this will be the case. A new "backdoor" approach has been seen in order to help this form of brain cancer. Basically, it will be able to halt an enzyme that is responsible for the progression of glioblastoma, which is reason enough for organizations along the lines of Voices against Brain Cancer to bring their focus on it. What are the specifics behind this, though, and how was the study carried through? The details are quite interesting, to say the least.

The enzyme that was focused on was referred to as phospholipase D, though it's not just in the realm of brain cancer that this has been seen. Other types of cancers like breast and gastric have been correlated to it as well, so it goes without saying that it has seen a great deal of attention in the way of science. PLD is also responsible for the regulation of Akt, another enzyme that is integral to cancer growth. There are many more details than I would have expected to uncover before reading this report.

PLD was given focus in this regard and it was done during a study that involved afflicted mice. Judging by the information previously stated, one would imagine that blocking the actions of Akt would prove to be of great assistance to the issue here. However, the article said that if it is blocked, the body stands a great chance of triggering an exaggerated immune response or diabetic symptoms. Akt has to be targeted, of course, but there should still be a level of urgency taken into account.

Professor Craig Lindsley spoke about the concept of the isoform related to Akt being targeted without bringing any kind of harm to the patient. Keep in mind that if Akt is not activated, the cancerous cells in the body die out, which is especially worthy of note when considering that the patient is not harmed as a result. Safety should be top priority when talking about any field of research. The focus given on certain enzymes, in my opinion, is one that can open up greater possibilities.




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