Understanding cancer cell mechanisms that allow them to thrive is the best bet on potentially using that knowledge to finally develop a cancer cure in the future.

Scientists have been keen on learning as much as they can about cancer cells and the latest discovery might bring the world closer to a cancer cure. University of Texas researchers conducted a study in which they profiled protein chances in cancer cells when patients go through cancer therapy. The researchers developed a tool that determines drug sensibility, allowing them to learn more about treatment resistant mechanisms in cancer cells. The tool also lets scientists determine the optimal treatment approaches.

The research which was published in the Cancer Cell journal features the results of protein expression changes in over 200 types of proteins spanning 300 or more cell lines after treatment is administered. Professor Han Liang, one of the authors in the study noted that gene expression changes are a common focus in perturbation studies in the past but there was barely any focus on proteomic profiling.

The recent study aimed to focus on proteomic profiling by studying the cell changes that occur after treatment. Pertubation studies determine how cancer cells and other systems react to stimuli. The researchers generated 15,492 RPPA samples including 3,608 samples from the control group and 11,884 samples of cells treated with cancer therapies.

Understanding the link between the proteins and cancer therapies

The researchers also created a robust map linking the drugs and proteins. The map allows them to understand the relationship between signaling pathways and proteins. It also allows medical researchers to pinpoint proteins that deliver notable changes when a drug is administered. The map also allows researchers to identify the proteins that showcase similar changes and also the drugs that provide similar protein reactions.

The study findings are important because they will allow doctors to determine which treatment will offer the highest treatment efficiency against cancer in each patient. The information derived from the study may also pave way for future anti-cancer therapeutic developments that yield better cancer treatments. The study only focused on a limited list of cancer types but researchers hope to expand the research to see whether other cancer types will yield similar findings.