Researchers from the Balearic Islands have discovered the key to treating cancer in DNA

Dark matter DNA contains valuable information for improving cancer treatment and diagnosisespecially the most aggressive tumours. This is the latest discovery by the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory of the Balearic Health Research Institute (Idisba), which specialises in historically ignored region still scientific research.

Since the structure of DNA was determined several decades ago, researchers have focused primarily on studying genes, which make up only 2% of DNA, despite being the basic unit of information about how our body works.The remaining 98% are still misnamed. “Junk DNA” for what he believes is not providing useful information: it is a theory that undermines work developed largely by Idisba’s doctoral researcher. Sandra Iniguez Munoz.

“The study is aimed at observing mutations, that is, specific changes in the DNA sequence, in the regulatory regions of the genome“, – the newspaper specified. He explains this with a metaphor: “If the genome that we all have were an electric circuit, then genes would be light bulbs. For many years, research has focused on studying whether they are switched on or not, that is, whether they have oncogenes that promote cancer. But this is only 2% of our genetic information, the remaining 98% is the “cable”, where there are elements that regulate the flow of light into the “bulbs”, – he notes.

Translated into scientific language, the study shows that mutations in dark matter are capable affect both tumor progression and its resistance to possible treatment.The discovery represents such an advance that one of the most influential scientific journals in its field, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciencesrepeated the innovation and spoke about a new approach to aggressive tumors.

The published work, Iñiguez recalls, is a scientific article that lays the theoretical foundations and confirms the hypothesis of dark matter. The working group was led by Dr. Diego M. Marzese and involved members of the laboratory, as well as researchers Pere Llinas Arias, Miquel Ensenat Méndez and Andrés F. Bedoya López.

In addition, the study involved experts in breast surgery such as Dr. Maggie Dinom from Duke University, Durham (USA), and breast oncology specialists such as Dr. Javier Cortes from the International Breast Cancer Center, among others.

Now, Idisba’s lab has been working for almost three years on what the next step will be: a second study that will put the theory of the first into practice, focusing on glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive types of brain cancer with very low survival rate: “We are investigating the mechanisms that make these tumors so uncontrollable and aggressive.”– the lead researcher clarifies.

The goal is to shed light on new therapeutic options for treating different types of cancer. And while this line of research promises to change the approach to fighting the most aggressive tumors, Iniguez warns against “sensationalism” and creating false expectations: “Talking about a cure for cancer is a very unrealistic generalization. Each tumor is different, and there is no treatment that can cure them all.– he emphasizes.

Likewise, this line of research could help us understand why patients suffer from a particular tumour: “We look to see if there is a mutation in a regulatory element in the genome that makes the cancer more aggressive, so it is easier to treat. That is, helps to understand how genes that favor certain types of cancer are regulated“, – Iñiguez specifies. This is a very little-studied area of ​​research and it was possible to carry it out, he emphasizes, thanks to what in the scientific world is called open access, free online access to scientific literature on the Internet.

Since the foundations have been laid, Iñiguez comments, the intention is for other researchers to continue generating knowledge based on this theory, which at the moment has a direct impact not on the patient, but on him. “There are many problems that arise now. One could study, for example, What impact do dark matter mutations have on cancer development?” adds the postdoctoral researcher. The aim is that in the long term this line of research will lead to the creation of new personalised and more effective treatments to improve the lives of patients.