Researchers at a university in Varanasi have found a cure for cervical cancer. During the research, Samarendra Kumar Singh and his PhD student Garima Singh discovered that a human microRNA — miR-34a — may block the viral E6 gene, turning off an oncogenic cell cycle component that kills only cervical malignant cells.
A team of researchers lead by Samarendra Kumar Singh of the School of Biotechnology, Institute of Science at Varanasi’s Banaras Hindu University (BHU) found a microRNA that particularly destroys cervical cancer cells. The study’s findings might lead to the development of a safe microRNA treatment to treat cervical cancer.
During the research, Singh and his PhD student Garima Singh discovered that a human microRNA, miR-34a, might block the viral E6 gene, which in turn turns off an oncogenic cell cycle component, killing only cervical malignant cells. “The conclusion acquires relevance in terms of designing a safer and targeted therapy in the management of cervical cancer,” Singh said, adding that no adverse effect on normal or non-cancerous cells was found throughout the trial.
He said, “At the moment, the existing therapies for cervical cancer, chemotherapy and radiation, have an effect on non-cancerous cells as well, which is extremely detrimental and poisonous. This study might be significant in designing particular cure medication for cervical malignancies.”
He added that the study’s findings have been published in ‘BMC Cancer,’ one of the most famous cancer publications.
He noted that this is also the first study to show that miR-34a reduces cancer cells through controlling the cell cycle. According to him, the high-risk human papillomavirus (HR HPV) causes 99% of cervical cancer cases by weakening the host cell’s various tumor suppressors and checkpoint factors.
Many oncogenic factors, including the crucial cell cycle regulator Cdt2/DTL, are also stabilized by viral proteins, promoting cell transformation and proliferation.
Singh explained, “Micro-RNAs have emerged as important cell cycle and other cellular function regulators.
Micro-RNA mutations have been linked to the development of numerous cancers and other illnesses, but little is known about the mechanism by which they regulate these cellular processes. We found that the discovered micro-RNA destabilizes oncogenic proteins, slowing the growth of infected cervical cancer cell lines and aiding in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion, and migratory capabilities of HPV positive cervical cancer cells.”
Singh’s lab and team undertake cancer research, focusing on cervical and gastrointestinal malignancies. They employ a variety of molecular biology, biochemistry, and structural biology methods to carry out their research. They are looking at why and how cancer cells’ cell cycle behavior is misregulated.
They previously discovered a method to identify cancer by assessing the burden of tumor DNA in the blood of cervical cancer patients, which was published in the prestigious cancer journal ‘JCRT.’
