KAIST’s new technology reverts colon cancer cells to a normal state, offering a side-effect-free breakthrough in treatment.

Despite the advancement of numerous cancer treatment technologies, most therapies still revolve around the goal of destroying cancer cells. This method, however, is fraught with challenges, such as the development of resistance by cancer cells and the harmful side effects caused by the destruction of healthy tissues.

KAIST’s Groundbreaking Innovation: Reverting Cancer Cells for Safer Treatment

KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology), under the leadership of President Kwang Hyung Lee, unveiled a groundbreaking innovation. A research team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has developed a pioneering technique to treat colon cancer. Instead of killing cancer cells, their technology reverts these cells to a state similar to normal colon cells, effectively avoiding the harmful side effects associated with conventional treatments.
The breakthrough is based on the observation that, during cancer development, normal cells regress along their differentiation path. Using this insight, the team created a digital twin of the gene network involved in the normal differentiation process, opening a new frontier in cancer therapy.

New Frontier in Cancer Therapy: Reversible Cancer Treatments for the Future

Through simulation analysis, the team systematically identified master molecular switches that induce normal cell differentiation. When these switches were applied to colon cancer cells, the cancer cells reverted to a normal-like state, a result confirmed through molecular and cellular experiments as well as animal studies.

This research demonstrates that cancer cell reversion can be systematically achieved by analyzing and utilizing the digital twin of the cancer cell gene network, rather than relying on serendipitous discoveries. The findings hold significant promise for developing reversible cancer therapies that can be applied to various types of cancer.

Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho remarked, “The fact that cancer cells can be converted back to normal cells is an astonishing phenomenon. This study proves that such reversion can be systematically induced.”

He further emphasized, “This research introduces the novel concept of reversible cancer therapy by reverting cancer cells to normal cells. It also develops foundational technology for identifying targets for cancer reversion through the systematic analysis of normal cell differentiation trajectories.”

1. Control of Cellular Differentiation Trajectories for Cancer Reversion – (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202402132)

Source-Eurekalert