Suhail Khan
Srinagar, April 11 : A scientist from Sopore has joined a pan-Canadian team that has developed an innovative method to quickly identify personalized treatments for young cancer patients by growing their tumors in chicken eggs and analyzing the proteins involved.
Tariq Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Sopore and a member of a research team from the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, has become the first in Canada to successfully integrate two cutting-edge techniques to identify and test a drug for a young cancer patient in time for treatment. The team’s findings, published in EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrate how proteomics—the study of proteins—can serve as a vital complement to genomics in real-time cancer therapies.
The detailed findings of the researchers, as accessed by Kashmir Despatch, state:
Co-lead authors Dr. Georgina Barnabas, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Philipp Lange’s lab, and Tariq A. Bhat, a PhD candidate in Dr. James Lim’s lab, focused their study on a young patient battling a rare pediatric cancer that had proven resistant to conventional treatments, leaving few options for recovery. This groundbreaking work was conducted as part of PROFYLE (PRecision Oncology For Young peopLE), a national initiative under the Canadian pediatric cancer network ACCESS (Advancing Childhood Cancer Experience, Science and Survivorship). This collaborative effort includes over 30 research and funding organizations and more than 100 investigators across Canada, all dedicated to improving cancer outcomes for children and young adults.
Proteomics: Unlocking Hidden Treatment Opportunities
While genes provide the instructions for making proteins, it is the proteins themselves that are the functional components of cells, and most drugs work by altering protein activity. The research team suspected that proteomics could reveal vulnerabilities in the tumor that genetic analysis alone had overlooked. When chemotherapy failed and no viable drug candidates emerged from genomic testing, the researchers pivoted to proteomics. They discovered that the tumor’s metabolism was highly dependent on an enzyme known as SHMT2.
“Genomic analysis alone did not reveal a clear treatment option,” explained Dr. Lange, a senior investigator with the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program at BCCHR, alongside Dr. Lim and clinician Dr. Rebecca Deyell. “However, by analyzing the tumor’s proteins, we identified a crucial metabolic weakness that we could target using an existing drug.”
Their strategy involved repurposing sertraline, a common antidepressant, to inhibit SHMT2 and restrict the tumor’s access to an essential energy source.
Chicken Egg Tumor Avatars: A Rapid Drug Testing Method
To test their hypothesis, the team employed an innovative technique that involved cultivating a small sample of the patient’s tumor on a chicken egg—an approach that serves as a living model for the tumor. This method, part of the BRAvE initiative (Better Responses through Avatars and Evidence) at BCCHR, enabled the team to rapidly assess the tumor’s response to sertraline.
“This technique accelerates the drug testing process in a way that traditional methods cannot,” said Dr. Lim. “It allowed us to quickly verify whether the drug identified through proteomics was effective against the patient’s tumor.”
After successfully testing the drug, the team presented their findings to a panel of experts from PROFYLE, who identified sertraline as the best available treatment option for the patient at that time.
Encouraging Progress, but Challenges Remain
While treatment with sertraline led to a significant slowdown in tumor growth, it was not a definitive cure, indicating that additional therapies were still necessary.
“Although there is still work to be done, this study demonstrates that our approach can generate personalized treatment recommendations quickly enough to make a real difference for patients with rare and difficult-to-treat cancers,” Dr. Lange said. “We now aim to expand this method to more children across the country, ensuring faster access to effective treatments,” the findings of the researchers further stated.
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
