Is it possible to make cancer treatment simpler and less invasive?
This is the hope of Dr Cristina Keightley, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences in the La Trobe Rural Health School, who is researching the role of long-noncoding RNAs (LncRNAs) in regulating the immune response to cancer.
LncRNAs are molecules that play a crucial role in many biological processes, including cancer progression and metastasis.
“Ordinarily, the immune system detects cancer cells and eliminates them before a tumour can develop,” Dr Keightley explains.
“If cancer cells evade this initial detection and a tumour takes hold, other parts of the immune system still help to break it down and kill the tumour cells. Sometimes, however, the tumour can trick the immune system into inadvertently supporting its growth.”
Dr Keightley says it is crucial to understand how this happens in order to develop new cancer treatments.
“Many of our treatments for cancer, especially blood cancers like leukemia, are currently more of a sledgehammer approach.”
“The cancer cells can be eliminated or held at bay by strong chemotherapy regimens that target rapidly dividing cells. Unfortunately, this also means that other cells are damaged along the way, often requiring hospitalisation.”
One therapy that is showing promise is immunotherapy, says Dr Keightley. “We know that by precisely controlling the immune response we can get better patient outcomes.”
“RNA has become a household word since the COVID pandemic and its successful use in the production of SARS-CoV2 vaccines.”
“LncRNAs are a certain kind of RNA that are like backstage directors, pulling the strings to influence how our immune system interacts with cancer. Because they only operate in a particular cell type, tissue or cancer, rather than everywhere, it makes them desirable therapeutic targets.”
“We are working on identifying new LncRNAs that connect immune regulation with a specific cancer and understanding their roles so we can test their therapeutic potential.”
This work is being funded by The Bendigo Tertiary Education Anniversary Foundation.
