Epigenome of aggressive brain tumors like glioblastoma can be modified using a folic acid-like drug when administered alongside the standard therapy as per the results from a phase 1 clinical trial at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, published in Cancer Research Communications.
The drug L-methylfolate was able to reprogram DNA methylome (one aspect of the epigenome where methyl groups are added to DNA) process for the first time within the brain tumors.
‘Epigenome of aggressive brain tumors like glioblastoma can be modified using a folic acid-like drug when administered alongside the standard therapy.
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The epigenome is a modification of DNA and proteins in a cell that is influenced by the environment and further controls gene expression.
“This is an important first step in understanding how we can manipulate the epigenome, and hopefully, this study will help design future epigenetic studies in glioblastoma treatment,” says Stephen Clark, MD, PhD, a neuro-oncologist at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, assistant professor of Neurology in the division of neuro-oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the study’s corresponding and lead author.
Source: Medindia
