A team of scientists from the University of Toronto have found that, by modifying a protein that improves the process of preventing cancer growth, a new way of treating cancer is on the way. The protein they have been researching is called von Hippel-Lindau (VHL).

Tumors are known to have very low blood supply when they grow. Therefore, some parts — including the center of the tumor — have low levels of oxygen and are said to be hypoxic. Cells in these parts produce hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) that makes it possible for them to keep on growing. Now, under normal conditions VHL degrades HIF — but VHL is deactivated when oxygen levels are low. So, in hypoxic regions of a tumour, just where VHL is needed to inhibit cancer, it is ineffective. That’s why scientists created a new type of VHL — a type that doesn’t stop working if oxygen levels are low.

“We have genetically removed the Achilles’ heel of VHL to permit unrestricted destruction of HIF,” said Michael Ohh, one of the researchers. “The level of HIF is usually very high under conditions of low oxygen but when we put in our bioengineered VHL its levels go right down to a level that would be comparable to that in normal oxygen levels.”

The details are published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Adopted from materials provided by the University of Toronto