OKLAHOMA CITY — Researchers at the OU Cancer Institute have discovered how a particular cancer stem cell protein causes tumors to grow.

Cancer biologist Shrikant Anant and Dr. Courtney Houchin announced their discovery at a press conference Thursday in the Stanton L. Young Biomedical Research Center in Oklahoma City.

“I would like the public to know that we are taking a different approach to researching cancer,” Houchin said. “This idea has been around for a while, but it’s only recently become a hot issue. I believe it’s going to be the future of cancer therapy. This will make it easier to target specific cancers in specific ways.”

The researchers say this is the first evidence of a stem cell protein regulating a tumor suppressor, according to a statement from the institute.

By targeting this newly discovered protein, researchers hope to develop new therapies that would specifically target cancer stem cells, stopping cancer from growing and reoccurring.

Houchin and Anant have been researching cancer stem cells longer than others in the field, they said.

“It’s a big race right now,” Anant explained. “God’s given us the ability to find these cells. Though we’re a small group, we’re ahead of the others in many ways.”

He said since beginning their research, teams at Stanford, Harvard and the University of Michigan have started their own cancer stem cell research.

State Senator Johnnie Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, helped fund the team’s research.

“If you had to sum it up in one word, it’s hope,” said Crutchfield, a cancer survivor. “The very real bottom line for me as a survivor is the hope that if my cancer re-occurs, there will be a less traumatic, less invasive and more successful medicine that will allow me to live a normal life and continue as a functioning member of society.”

Stem cells

“Stem cells make a signature of proteins which are unique to the cell,” Anant said. “One of these proteins we’ve identified is very unique in the stem cells. The protein is made in the cell and can become a cancer stem cell. We believe that if we target the stem cell we can stop the cancer.”

He explained how cancerous stem cells reproduce slower than normal cancer cells.

“Drugs kill rapidly dividing cells,” Anant said. “Stem cells don’t divide very fast, so the drugs we’re using don’t kill cancer stem cells.”

He said one of the problems with traditional cancer treatment is that it only targets fast-dividing cells. Though the cancer might go away for a while, cancerous stem cells still remain, which causes the cancer to reoccur later.

Cancerous stem cells cannot be killed effectively with traditional treatment.

“To kill those cells, we have to use a large amount of drugs,” Anant said. “That is more of a killer than the cancer itself.”

What's next

Houchin estimated that it would be another five to seven years before their research would be manifested into a viable therapy, depending on the amount of funding they receive. He also explained their research could be applicable to other forms of cancer research.

“We think this protein is not only a marker of stem cells,” Houchin said. “If we can block that protein, we can block cancer from growing or spreading.”

For cancer survivors like Crutchfield, the promise of a more effective cancer treatment based on Houchin and Anant’s research is on the horizon.

Crutchfield said the completion of the OU Cancer Institute’s new building in 2010 will put Oklahoma at the forefront of cancer research.

“I think what we’ll end up with is a facility that we’re very proud of,” Crutchfield said. “It will give us a world-class place where people can come and get top-notch, world-class cancer care. It was a dream — now it is a reality.”

Anant agreed the future of cancer research in Oklahoma is promising.

“We want people to realize great things are going on here,” Anant said. “Oklahoma has really blossomed as a Mecca for cancer research.”