Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Novel molecules identified to combat cancer relapse: Study

This collaborative effort, involving researchers mainly from India, France, and Singapore, was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Novel molecules identified to combat cancer relapse: Study

Researchers have identified three molecules that offer a promising solution that can prevent cancer relapse during treatment, according to a new study.

In cancer treatment, DNA-damaging agents are commonly used to target cancer cells thereby killing them and causing cancer remission.


However, over time, the effectiveness of these agents can diminish as cancer cells develop mechanisms to repair the damaged DNA, leading to a process commonly called chemoresistance to drugs, leading to cancer recurrence and metastasis.

This poses a challenge to cancer therapy. The new study by researchers in two Department of Biotechnology, Government of India institutes, namely the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG) and the National Institute of Immunology (NII), have tackled this issue by investigating the repair mechanisms specific to cancer cells.

The study highlighted the roles of two proteins, RAD54 and BLM, in this process. RAD54 can loosen the genome aiding in gene activation, while BLM assists RAD54 in this function.

Dr. Sagar Sengupta, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), explained how their research addresses why cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy at the genomic level.

"We focused on two proteins, RAD54 and BLM, which are involved in the process of the development of chemoresistance. RAD54 helps activate genes by remodelling chromatin, and BLM assists RAD54 in this role. The RAD54-BLM complex was found to activate a group of genes (called efflux pump genes) responsible for removing anti-cancer drugs from cancer cells, a key factor in developing chemoresistance. The team also screened a large library of approved small molecules and discovered three drugs that disrupt RAD54-BLM interaction, reducing DNA repair in cancer cells and thereby making the cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy," he told PTI.

The study focused on colon cancer as a model system and involved physically screening a large library of approved drugs or small molecules to identify these promising compounds. Tests on animal models, particularly mice, treated with these molecules alongside standard chemotherapy drugs for colon cancer, showed minimal to no tumor progression.

Hence these drugs have the potential to be taken forward as adjunct therapy for colon cancer when given in addition to the known chemotherapeutic drugs to patients.

Additionally, researchers would also like to determine whether the drugs can be utilized to treat chemoresistance in other types of cancers.

This collaborative effort, involving researchers mainly from India, France, and Singapore, was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Alongside NIBMG and NII, researchers from the Regional Centre of Biotechnology (RCB), and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) also participated in the project, which included a diverse team of scientists.

More For You

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
sugary drinks and ice cream

Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019

iStock

Global warming may drive higher consumption of sugary drinks and ice cream, study warns

Highlights:

  • Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
  • Lower-income households most affected, research finds
  • Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
  • Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data

Sugary consumption rising with heat

People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.

Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.

Keep ReadingShow less
Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates
vegetables from sides to stars

Camellia Panjabi (Photo: Ursula Sierek)

Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates vegetables from sides to stars

RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.

Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.

Keep ReadingShow less
Spotting the signs of dementia

Priya Mulji with her father

Spotting the signs of dementia

How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love

I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.

Keep ReadingShow less
HH Guruji performed the Dhwaja Ritual at Ambaji Temple

HH Guruji performed the Dhwaja Ritual at Ambaji Temple

Mahesh Liloriya

The holy town of Ambaji witnessed a spiritually significant day on Sunday as His Holiness Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, London, performed the Dhwaja ritual at the historic Ambaji Temple in Gujarat, one of the most revered Shakti Peeths of India.

Keep ReadingShow less