Mico-RNAs can turn cancer on and off
It is a well-established scientific fact that micro-RNAs can turn on cancer and also turn off cancer. The question is which ones?
Professor of Cancer Metabolism, Dr. Marcus Peter and a team of researchers from NorthWestern Medicine, publishing in Nature Communications October 29th (1), have shown that six or so micro-RNA can be used to kill cancer cells without resorting to harmful chemotherapy.
Normal cells have a lifespan and then they die. In fact, it seems the ‘kill-code’ in healthy cells is there to stop bad or sick cells living indefinitely and causing problems in the body. Small RNA codes (micro RNAs) operate as healthy cell ‘bodyguards to stop healthy cells turning into rogue cells. But cancer cells have genetic changes in their micro RNAs which stop this kill-system and so they don’t die.
While chemotherapy has been shown to knock out cancer cell m-RNAs, after a while they adapt and the chemo loses effectiveness, even making a stronger set of pro-cancer micro-RNAs.
Peter and Dr. Elizabeth Bartom, assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Cellular Genetics led the team to first identify the micro-RNAs involved in the kill-code and then went after them, sparing any damage to the core DNA as happens with chemotherapy. Professor Peter went further: “My goal was not to come up with a new artificial toxic substance. I wanted to follow nature’s lead. I wanted to utilize a mechanism that nature developed.”
In fact the researchers performed two separate studies and looked at 4,096 combinations of m-RNAs that could convert the kill code m-RNAs, switching off the blocks and leading the cancer cell to self-destruct.
“We absolutely must turn this into a novel cancer therapy” said Peter.
Diet and gut bacteria make these micro-RNAs
Chris Woollams, former Oxford Biochemist and a founder of CANCERactive added, “Professor Peter is absolutely right about this being ‘nature’s chemotherapy’. It is exactly how your diet and your microbiome work in combination. Certain foods feed certain gut bacteria and these make more pathogens, which in turn create more inflammatory compounds and messages that can turn on cancer cells. Good foods like Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fish oils, ellagitannins and many others feed commensal bacteria which make more anti-inflammatory molecules and micro-RNAs that can ‘trump’ those in cancer cells. This effect cannot be underestimated – at any one time 38% of the small molecules in your blood stream come from your gut bacteria, not you. Only the ignorant can fail to understand this nowadays with all the research there has been! Unfortunately, there are still many ignorant people in UK cancer hospitals”
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