Taneesa Williamson Nature may provide the key to beating drug resistant melanoma.
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) based at Brisbane’s Translational Research Institute (TRI) have uncovered a potential solution to one of oncology’s greatest challenges: drug-resistant melanoma. The team has harnessed antimicrobial peptides derived from the Brazilian tarantula and the Japanese horseshoe crab, modifying them to effectively target melanoma cells resistant to conventional treatments.
Published in the prestigious journal Pharmacological Research, this pre-clinical study demonstrates that these peptides not only kill resistant melanoma cells but also render the cancer incapable of developing resistance to the peptides. This discovery could represent a significant shift in melanoma treatment, providing hope to patients with advanced and drug-resistant forms of the disease.
The science explained
Lead researcher Associate Professor Sonia Henriques explained that nature’s evolutionary brilliance lies at the heart of this innovation. “Nature designed these peptides to fight bacterial infections by targeting bacterial cell membranes,” Associate Professor Henriques said. “We’ve modified the peptides to target the cell membranes of cancer cells in a similar way, achieving a fast and effective mechanism that spares non-cancerous cells.”
What makes this discovery particularly exciting is the peptides’ ability to eliminate not only highly proliferative melanoma cells but also dormant cells and those with drug resistance. As Associate Professor Henriques emphasised, “Cancer cells did not remodel their cell membrane composition or develop resistance to peptide treatment. This could be a game-changer, as resistance to existing therapies is a major hurdle in cancer treatment.”
The study represents over ten years of research and involved rigorous testing in both in vitro (laboratory-based) and in vivo (animal) models. These peptides, inspired by nature’s design and fine-tuned through scientific ingenuity, could pave the way for future melanoma therapies that are more potent and durable.
“Our goal is to refine these peptides further so they not only attack the cancer cell membrane but also penetrate it to disrupt other cancer progression mechanisms,” Associate Professor Henriques added.
A future depending on research funding
While the potential of this discovery is immense, the journey toward human clinical trials is expected to take at least five more years, contingent on further research and significant funding. Dr Aurelie Benfield, the study’s first author, highlighted the importance of financial and industry backing to expedite progress.
“Thousands of years of evolution have given us these peptides, and as scientists, we can modify them to make them even more effective and stable,” Dr Benfield said. “This is just the beginning, and with the right support, we could see these therapies in clinical use much sooner.”
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