Molecule heralds a microscopic bowel cancer breakthrough

The immune system wages a constant war against disease in all of us, and now researchers have identified a key immune molecule that could underpin a bowel cancer breakthrough.

Professor Bryan Williams is Emeritus Director and Distinguished Scientist at Hudson Institute of Medical Research.

His research with PhD student Saleh Almasabi and Research Fellow Afsar Ahmed was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology, showing for the first time that a key molecule plays a significant role in promoting the growth of bowel cancer.

This molecule, known as integrin linked kinase (ILK), is involved in regulating cell activity and is present at high levels in bowel cancer, acting to suppress the immune system.

Inhibiting bowel cancer growth

“The microenvironment surrounding a tumor is a hotbed of immune cell-cancer cell interactions that either inhibit tumor growth or promote its progression,” Prof Williams said. “We seek to understand what controls this balance and how it may be altered to favour tumor regression and cure.”

“Our research shows that ILK moves the needle between immunity and cancer in favour of the tumor.”

The research identified that inhibiting the function of ILK in bowel cancer cell lines reduced their growth and also blocked the expression of an important immune suppressor molecule PD-L1.

Bowel cancer-fighting drug breakthrough

These findings could lead to the development of new cancer-fighting drugs based on the actions of ILK.

“This supports developing anti-ILK drugs that will not only directly target cancer cells but promote immunotherapy against tumors,” Prof Williams said.

“It provides a new paradigm for developing a clinical strategy for hard to treat solid tumors that exhibit high levels of ILK.

“These tumors are often insensitive to immunotherapy and targeting ILK could overcome this,” he said.