Protein Identified That Can Cause Cancer Cells to Die

Scientists at the University of California, Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Sacramento, Calif., have identified a protein on the CD95 receptor (a protein within a cell that receives and transmits signals) that can “program” cancer cells to die. CD95 receptors — also referred to as Fas — have gained the nickname “death receptors” because they send a signal that causes cancer cells to “self-destruct.” “Previous efforts to target this receptor have been unsuccessful. But now that we’ve identified this epitope (target), there could be a therapeutic path forward to target Fas in tumors,” said Jogender Tushir-Singh, PhD, an associate professor in the department of medical microbiology and immunology and senior author of the study.

Experts are hopeful that future cancer drugs could boost the activity of these CD95 receptors to create a new weapon against cancer tumors, which have been treated historically with surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The newly discovered “kill switch” could terminate tumor cells while also helping to make immunotherapies more effective — “a potential one-two punch against tumors.” To date, however, no CD95-boosting drugs have made it into clinical trials.