Cholesterol Can Be a Problem for Some Cancer Cells, Researchers Reveal

For millions of people across the globe, cholesterol has become a significant health issue. It also turns out that cholesterol can be a problem for some cancer cells. New research coming from Rockefeller University reveals that a rare tumor type is unable to synthesize cholesterol, which is something that cells need to survive. The discovery was made after researchers began to look at ways to cut off tumors from the nutrients needed to survive and thrive. Kivanc Bisroy, the Chapman Perelman Assistant Professor at Rockefeller, said the cancer cells in this tumor type he was investigating become dependent on taking up cholesterol from their environment. He said that dependence on getting cholesterol from other sources can be exploited by designing therapies that block cholesterol uptake. Bisroy and his team of researchers reported their findings in Nature magazine, the university reported.
Bisroy and his colleagues began to take a closer look at cancer cells and cholesterol due to the fact that some cancers have been known to lose the ability to make key nutrients to survive. In its announcement, the university noted that some types of leukemia are unable to synthesize asparagine, an amino acid. To treat this type of leukemia, doctors will treat patients with a medicine that breaks down the amino acid and removes it from the blood. Without asparagine, the cancer cells will die.