In a new study, the University of Utah researchers examined the many roles of mucus in our body.
The research examined mucins, a vital mucus component, led by biomedical engineering professor Jessica Kramer. Mucins are sugar-coated proteins that affect molecular transport, immunology, and cell behavior.
According to Interesting Engineering, researchers want to produce cancer vaccinations by knowing how immune cells interact with cancer cell carbohydrates. Using artificial mucus, they examined the impact of mucin on early tumor growth. They found that mutating healthy cells' mucins to mimic cancer cells caused cancer-like behavior in healthy cells, showing a previously undiscovered link between mucins and cancer growth.
Contrary to popular belief, mucus protects and allows chemicals and particles to reach respiratory and digestive epithelial cells.
The University of Utah researchers noted that mucus and mucins' varied protein architectures make genetic and biological approaches unsuitable for researching them. To solve this problem, innovative synthetic chemistry and bacterial enzymes were used to create synthetic mucins.
The careful experiments with artificial mucins revealed how sugars and protein sequences impact cellular activity. Previous research has demonstrated that cancer cell mucins enhance metastasis and block immune cell activation, helping cancer cells avoid the immune system.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) research showed that mucin-based targeted therapies might cure cancer.
The results of the artificial mucus study emphasize the need for further research into the mucus and mucins' complex functions in numerous physiological systems and disorders to develop new treatments and understand cancer progression pathways.
Sound Therapy Helps Relieve Chemotherapy Problems
In a separate development on cancer research, MIT researchers have suggested a treatment that addresses chemotherapy's neurological effects using light and sound therapy.
MIT scientists found that exposure to light and sound waves, especially around 40 hertz, may help chemotherapy patients with cognitive problems, as reported by TechTimes. Research on mice demonstrated that regular light and sound treatment at this frequency may protect brain cells from chemotherapy-induced damage and reduce memory loss and other cognitive deficits.
According to experts, the medication, created initially to treat Alzheimer's disease, improves brain function and offers promise for controlling other neurodegenerative diseases.
MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory Director and study senior author Dr. Li-Huei Tsai noted that the treatment reduces oligodendrocytes' DNA damage, inflammation, and myelin production.
Cancer Incidence Rising Globally
The latest findings on possible cancer treatments come as the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts a worldwide surge in cancer incidence by 2050. The IARC estimates 35 million cancer cases, rising from 20 million in 2022, per the UN's website.
This rise is due to population expansion, aging demographics, and lifestyle changes that raise cancer risk. Cancer rates are rising due to smoking, alcohol, obesity, and air pollution.
While richer nations are forecast to witness the biggest absolute rise in cancer occurrences, with 4.8 million more cases by 2050, low- and middle-income countries are expected to suffer a proportionately greater increase. Additionally, cancer death rates are expected to roughly double.
The Global Cancer Observatory of the IARC uses data from 185 countries to estimate 36 cancer types. These forecasts were issued with a WHO assessment of 115 countries that found that most governments lack appropriate funding for cancer treatment and palliative care as part of universal health coverage.
