JQ1
By Jay Bradley and Jun Qi.
Content Research.
Cancer research is basic research into cancer in order to identify cause and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cure.
These simple words put together give a concrete sense of what researchers are doing to fight against this dreadful illness which is cause of many loss each year.
What I notice, is that we can easily describe the hard work that oncologists are making to provide us with cures, but actually behind a formulation of a drug there is suffering, genius and just after a certain period of time they will probably get satisfaction.
I am currently an AS student who one day has been so lucky as I was able to find an impressive lecture, given by Dr. James E. Bradner of the Department of Medical Oncology of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which has changed my all approach to the medical world. Though, I found it really complicated to understand the chemical formula at first, Dr. Bradner explained it so easily so that with followed researches I have been able to analyse it fully.
Dr. Bardner's Medical Department has found a way to stop the growth of cancer cells as well as make them forget their own nature, being cancer. He based his research more on a rare but devastating cancer known as NUT midline carcinoma (NMC).
"If you can switch off a cancer cell's growth gene, the cell will die. Alternatively, switching on a tissue gene can cause a cancer cell to become a more normal tissue cell". These were his words on which his research has been based on.
He started focusing on the following three points:
- Transcription factors;
- Chromatin modifying enzymes;
- Histone binding molecules.
They discovered that the BET protein BRD4, with two bromodomains, is implicated in the formation of NMC. Therefore, what happens is a change in the BRD4-NUT protein which modifies the MYC, transforming a normal cell into a cancer cell.
Our cells have a memory, hence the first thing done by these group of doctors was to disable the two types of proteins responsible for transcription, and so they did. However, they had to work out more about how to disable BRD4-NUT from being cancer. They discovered that benzodiazepine (C16H13CIN2O) is active against BRD4, hence using this as guide they started to arrange chemical formulae so to find an inhibitor for such a protein. Strikingly, they did. Dr. Bradner and Dr. Jun Qi, PhD, found an inhibitor for the reader of the protein BRD4-NUT, entitled JQ1 staying for Qi.
In addition to this sensational discover, Dr. Bradner's Medical Department instead of giving the chemical formula to pharmaceutical factories secretly, they have sent it to all their friends as well as putting it on the internet, accompanied by their personal contacts for all people who may have suggestions to improve the formula itself.
In addition to this sensational discover, Dr. Bradner's Medical Department instead of giving the chemical formula to pharmaceutical factories secretly, they have sent it to all their friends as well as putting it on the internet, accompanied by their personal contacts for all people who may have suggestions to improve the formula itself.
Many experiments have been done on mice giving optimum results. However, the Chemical formula has not been applied into a drug yet. Therefore, they are currently working on JQ2.
Here, in relatively 'simple' words, there is the explanation of a cure that has a high percentage of cure for people who are hit by NUT, and it has been tested that JQ1 is also effective in Leukaemia.
After having listened to Dr Bradner talking, I, in my little, became more involved in the world of medicine which is affiscinated but at the same time so hard, so that I understood that determination, strength, positivity and a huge sense of will power is required not only for studying 6 years, which I would say requires just patience, but also to face the daily problems that doctors are subjected to. Studying, in medicine and especially in the field of research has no end. But a little discover has a reflection not just for your personal satisfaction but for all people who without researchers would have been without chances of life. Hence, a doctor does is work for passion, devotion and love, looking forward to new discovers that can make solution to the hardest proofs of life, illnesses.
SOURCE: 'TED TALK' http://www.ted.com/talks/jay_bradner_open_source_cancer_research.html
Here there are some pictures showing how BRD4 works...
