National – A new study has identified taurine, a natural amino acid, as a critical factor in the growth of certain types of leukemia.
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It was published on May 14 in the Newspaper.
They said that the results could lead to new treatments for myeloid cancer, including acute myeloid leukemia (LMA), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (SMD), according to the Researchers from the Wilmot Cancer Institute of the University of Rochester.
These blood cancers all start in the bone marrow, and research shows that cancer cells depend on the taurine of their environment to develop and survive.
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Our sister station in Seattle, Kiro TVSaid that Wilmot’s team has discovered that leukemia cells cannot produce taurine by themselves.
Instead, they use a carrier to absorb taurine from the microenvironment of the surrounding bone marrow.
Scientists could stop the growth of leukemia using genetic tools to block this absorption in mouse models and human cell samples, reports Kiro TV.
“We are very enthusiastic about these studies because they demonstrate that targeting absorption by myeloid leukemia cells can be a new possible avenue for the treatment of these aggressive diseases,” said Jeevisha Bajaj, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and member of the Research Program on the Micro-Environment of Wilmot Cancer.
The study also indicates that there is an increasing metabolism, how cancer becomes energy, is just as important as genetic mutations in the conduct of cancer.
Kiro TV reports that researchers discovered that once inside leukemia cells, taurine promotes glycolysis. It is a process that decomposes glucose for energy and supports the progression of cancer.
“This study is one of the first to show that taurine can actually help stimulate cancer growth,” said Bajaj. “Leukemia cells divert taurine to feed their survival.”
Jane Liesvaeld, MD, oncologist Wilmot and co-author of the study, urged caution with regard to taurine supplements.
A amino acid is a common ingredient in energy drinks, protein powders and certain foods. This includes meat, fish and eggs. A amino acid is also found in the brain, heart and muscles.
Kiro TV adds that cancer patients sometimes take it to facilitate the side effects of chemotherapy.
“The work of Dr. Bajaj shows that the local levels of taurine in the bone marrow can improve the growth of leukemia, suggesting caution in the use of high -dose taurine supplementation,” said Liesveld.
The researchers said that more work should be done to understand what role of taurine plays in the development of cancer and resistance to treatment.
Bajaj said one of the next steps is to study taurine levels in patients with leukemia. Then develop methods to safely block the taurine of the entry of cancer cells.
“Since taurine is a current ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as an additional supplement to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be interesting to carefully consider the advantages of additional taurine in patients with leukemia,” wrote the authors in their conclusion.
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