Breast cancer’s ‘sweet tooth’ could hold key to treatment
Claire Fergus from the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin is investigating why cancer cells consume so much sugar.
Previous studies showed that cancer cells consume large volumes of sugar, grow rapidly, and become increasingly resistant to medication.
Ms Fergus, who has received €116,000 from the Irish Cancer Society for her three-year project, has been examining a molecule called queuine and the effect it has on cancerous cells.
All cells in the human body contain queuine that is created by bacteria in the food that is eaten, but very little is known about its exact function.
It is known, however, that queuine levels decrease significantly as cancer progresses.
Ms Fergus has been looking at how the reintroduction of queuine could weaken cancerous cells, making them easier to kill with medication.
She wants to determine how and at what stage queuine was being lost and how this was impacting on sugar consumption.
“We hope that by understanding the function of queuine we can use it to improve the effectiveness of the drugs currently being used to treat breast cancer,” she said.
“As queuine loss occurs in every type of cancer, the findings could, in fact, have implications for all cancer patients.”
The Irish Cancer Society is the largest voluntary backer of cancer research in Ireland and is spending more than €834,000 on six breast cancer studies.
The society’s head of research, Prof John Fitzpatrick, said one in 10 women in Ireland would develop breast cancer during their lifetime so their funding was crucial.
Meanwhile, this year’s Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Campaign is asking women to be breast aware and purchase the iconic target T-shirt.
The T-shirts, available from all Brown Thomas and BT2 stores, cost €30 and the proceeds go to the Irish Cancer Society and Europa Donna Ireland.
* www.cancer.ie
