Advanced cancer drug shrinks and intercalates DNA
The team’s discovery could soon lead to even more advanced cancer drugs, through comparisons with the mechanisms used by PIX to those of its predecessor, Mitoxantrone. By identifying which of these processes destroy cancer DNA most effectively, researchers could develop further drugs that are even better at eliminating the disease, while minimising side-effects. Rocha and colleagues revealed PIX’s characteristic prising and shrinking mechanisms by first studying how changes in the mechanical properties of combined DNA-PIX complexes relate to the concentration of the drug. They then used statistical models to determine the parameters of the binding forces between the two structures.
The researchers measured these properties by trapping PIX and DNA molecules with highly focused laser beams, allowing them to probe their binding forces within two different-strength solutions. As the need to update our current approaches to cancer treatments becomes increasingly apparent, the insights gathered by Rocha’s team could soon lead to important advances towards more sophisticated drugs.