Research conducted in Montreal has made it possible to better understand the mechanisms of malignant transformation of lymphomas, cancers of the immune system, and to identify a potential solution to cure them.
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The team of Tarik Möröy, professor at the University of Montreal and researcher at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), has carried out research that “paves the way to a promising therapeutic target”, according to a press release published Monday. by the IRCM.
Professor Möröy, who is also director of the hematopoiesis and cancer research unit at the IRCM, and his team discovered that a specific enzyme, an RNA helicase called DDX3, is necessary for the development and progression of lymphomas.
A potential solution would have been identified by Mr. Möröy’s team and in particular by Marion Lacroix, a doctoral student in the laboratory. ‘These experiments show that a specific strain of mouse that spontaneously develops lymphoma does not see the disease reappear when the DDX3 gene is knocked out by genetic engineering.
Researchers must now test targeted treatments that are less toxic and have fewer serious side effects.
The IRCM points out that lymphomas generally occur in children and young adults and are characterized by “the uncontrolled expansion of cells of our immune system called lymphocytes”. This then causes large tissue masses, and surgical removal of the tumor masses is usually performed. Most often, this type of cancer is also treated with chemotherapy, a treatment with high toxicity and significant side effects, including cancers occurring later.
The study was published Monday in the journal Cancer Research.
