Written by Wendy Herman for Stand Up To Cancer
What if there was a way to locate cancer stem cells in the body and essentially, turn them off? That’s what one Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team is trying to do. Stephen Baylin, M.D. and Peter Jones, Ph.D. have committed to unearthing the benefits behind epigenetic therapy and how it could lead to meaningful progress in the treatment of various types of cancer.
EPIGENETICS, DEFINED
“Epigenetics describes the way in which cells take different parts of the genetic information within them and package them in such a way that certain genes are used in one tissue and other genes are used in other tissues,” says Jones. “Without epigenetics, quite frankly, you could never develop as a human being.”
While a genome carries an individual’s hereditary information and history, epigenetics influences the way these genes are expressed in the body. Think of the genome as a blueprint for someone’s potential development and the process of epigenetics as an architect choosing the way to express that particular set of DNA. This is why two persons with identical DNA can still look very different.
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
DNA mutations in a person’s body are often responsible for the development of numerous diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. However, diseases can sometimes form in the body without ever changing the DNA. Jones explains that when cancer develops in the body, it causes normal cells to switch off genes that should be on. Some are boxed up, unable to function, while others get activated in places in the body where they don’t belong. It is under these conditions when cells can become cancerous.
MAKING STRIDES
“There’s a time for individual competition and a time for teamwork,” says Jones. “And I think this is the time for teamwork in this particular area. We’ve competed against each other for years.”
With the help of clinical trials, Baylin and Jones’ team believe they can make a significant impact in three years time while involving patients at a fundamental level. Their research then becomes more than theoretical, and instead, can be applied in a practical manner, causing quick and effective change.
By using drugs that are already in existence, Baylin says they can help stagnant genes start functioning at their normal levels. This type of epigenetic therapy has been successful with certain types of pre-leukemia, and they hope to utilize these tools with all types of cancer, from adolescence to adulthood. With the success of drug therapy in the leukemia spectrum, Baylin and Jones’ team started taking that drug regimen, and applied it to patients with advanced lung cancer. One particular patient, a 53-year-old woman, was extremely ill with advanced stages of the disease. After less than three months of therapy, her body began to respond positively. She’s now back to her normal weight, and for the most part, back to her normal life. Unfortunately, they’ve found that the drug doesn’t work on all patients, so discovering the “why” behind this challenge is a key component of their research.
MOVING FORWARD
Developing the full potential of epigenetic therapy requires a balance of patience and impatience, says Baylin. “You have to start now. You have to do something about it. But it’s going to take years to play out,” he says.