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 Colourful structures (yellow), sometimes found in the nucleus (blue), which identify cancer cells that use ALT.
One of the most important differences between cancer cells and normal cells is that cancer cells can keep on multiplying an unlimited number of times, but normal cells eventually stop dividing.
This difference is where we have chosen to focus our attention. It has the potential to provide an answer to one of the most problematic issues in cancer treatment – how to kill cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
It is the progressive shortening of telomeres (the DNA at the ends of chromosomes) which sets a limit on the number of times normal cells can divide. This does contribute to aging, but also acts as a powerful protection against normal cells becoming cancerous.
Cancers evade this limitation, and effectively become ‘immortal’, by switching on one of two telomere lengthening mechanisms: an enzyme called telomerase (see Cell Biology Unit), or the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) mechanism. If blocking telomere lengthening mechanisms is to become a viable option for cancer treatment we need a thorough understanding of both mechanisms.
We have recently licensed a test that detects ALT in cancers and cancer cell lines to Capital Biosciences Inc. (CBI), Maryland, USA, who are providing this as a cancer testing service.
For more information see the staff profiles and projects pages.
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