A new study has found that reducing cholesterol could help slow the spread of bladder cancer, offering potential for a novel treatment approach.
Researchers discovered that the protein PIN1 plays a crucial role in driving bladder cancer by triggering the synthesis of cholesterol in tumour cells. This process is vital for cancer cell survival and growth. By targeting PIN1 and combining treatments with a cholesterol-lowering statin, scientists were able to reduce tumour growth in mouse and cell models.
“The combination of simvastatin and sulfopin significantly suppressed tumour progression by lowering cholesterol levels,” explained Dr. Tony Hunter, senior author of the study.
Bladder cancer, which affects over 600,000 people globally each year, remains underfunded in research compared to other cancers. “Bladder cancer is severely understudied, despite being a leading cause of cancer-related deaths,” said Hunter, emphasizing the need for new therapeutic strategies. Current treatments, like chemotherapy and immune therapies, often fail to halt progression.
Hunter’s team focused on PIN1, a protein known to be involved in various cancers. “PIN1 alters the structure of proteins that drive cancer,” he explained. Their research suggests that inhibiting PIN1 could reduce cholesterol production in cancer cells and potentially provide an effective treatment for bladder cancer.
This study recently published in the journal Cancer Discovery offers hope for developing targeted therapies, with further research underway to explore the role of PIN1 in other cancers.
