New Delhi: Cancer treatments have improved significantly in recent years, offering better survival rates. However, many of these treatments still come with serious side effects that can negatively impact patients' quality of life.
Now, researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne, Australia, have discovered a key reason why some of these side effects occur. Their study, published in the journal Science, focuses on a protein called MCL-1, which has been a major target in cancer drug development.
MCL-1 helps prevent cancer cells from dying. Because of this, drugs have been designed to block MCL-1 and kill cancer cells. But the new research reveals that MCL-1 also plays an important role in providing energy to healthy cells, particularly in organs that need a lot of energy, like the heart and liver.
This means that when cancer drugs block MCL-1, they can unintentionally harm healthy tissues, leading to the severe side effects seen in some clinical trials.
Dr. Kerstin Brinkmann, the lead author of the study, said earlier research had suggested that MCL-1 was involved in cell energy production, but it wasn’t clear how important this role was in living organisms.
“The findings open up a completely new way of thinking about the connection between cell death and metabolism,” Brinkmann explained. “This link has been speculated about for years, but this is the first time it’s been proven in a living organism.”
The discovery could lead to better cancer treatments in the future. By developing drugs that target MCL-1 more precisely — attacking cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues — researchers hope to reduce harmful side effects.
According to researcher Andreas Strasser, this breakthrough could also improve combination treatments by allowing better dosing strategies and drug pairings that lower toxicity.
“If we can direct MCL-1 inhibitors specifically to cancer cells, we may be able to kill tumours while protecting vital organs,” he said.
This research opens new paths for safer, more effective cancer therapies.