Colon cancer breakthrough: blocking a protein may slow tumour growth

South Korean researchers report that disabling the NSMF gene reduced colorectal tumour growth in lab and mouse experiments and extended the average lifespan of affected mice by about 33.5%, with no obvious harm to healthy intestinal cells.

Researchers in South Korea report that blocking a protein produced by the NSMF gene slowed colorectal tumour growth in laboratory and mouse experiments. The team tested human colorectal cancer cells in vitro and bred mice that lacked NSMF to observe effects on intestinal tumours. In mice without the gene, researchers observed significantly fewer intestinal growths and an average lifespan increase of 33.5%. The study was published in Nucleic Acids Research and researchers described NSMF as a potential target for future study. Key findings: - The team blocked NSMF in human colorectal cancer cells using antibodies in lab experiments and bred NSMF‑deficient mice for in vivo tests, tracking offspring for up to 16–20 weeks. - Blocking NSMF caused tumour cells to show signs of irreversible cellular aging and slowed or stopped tumour growth in the reported experiments. - Mice lacking NSMF developed significantly fewer intestinal growths and lived on average 33.5% longer than mice that retained the gene. - Researchers reported no noticeable damage to healthy intestinal cells in the NSMF‑deficient mice in these experiments. - The interventions reduced tumour growth but did not eliminate cancer entirely, and the study did not outline a method to block NSMF safely in humans. Summary: The study identifies NSMF as a factor that helps colorectal cancer cells cope with rapid division and shows that disabling it reduced tumour growth in lab and mouse models. Researchers say further work is needed to determine how, or whether, NSMF could be targeted in people. Undetermined at this time.