Could a missing link lead us to kidney cancer cures?
Cancer types:
Kidney cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
Award amount:
£218,500
Location:
Italy
Dr Jean Piero Margaria and his team are using their expert knowledge to understand exactly how low oxygen levels in the kidney might damage healthy kidney cells and lead to cancer.
Their work will not only help to uncover potential new ways to target kidney cancer, but could also lead to better strategies to help people living with Von Hippel-Lindau disease- a rare genetic condition that causes an increased risk of developing kidney tumours.
Why is this research needed?
Over 400,000 people worldwide were diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2022, and people living with a rare genetic condition called Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease are at greater risk. Globally, as many as 200,000 people are estimated to have VHL and they live with the risk of tumours developing in their kidneys and other parts of their body, with no way to prevent this.
For VHL and kidney cancer huge progress could be made if we knew more about exactly how kidney cancer develops- and how we can stop it. In this exciting project, Dr Jean Piero Margaria and his team will work to do exactly that.
By figuring out the exact steps that kick start the cancer process for some cells, their work has the potential to lead not just to new cures, but also to new ways to prevent tumours growing in the first place- potentially saving many lives, and helping to improve many more.
By identifying the process by which kidney cells transition to kidney cancer, I believe my team's research will help prevent and treat kidney cancer.
What is the science behind this project?
Because of its structure and function, certain parts of the kidney can sometimes be more likely to have lower oxygen levels compared to other organs. When this happens it can be quite stressful for healthy kidney cells, and Dr Margaria and his team want to understand how healthy cells deal with this stress- and how it might sometimes lead to cancer.
The team are international experts in genetic changes that happen in healthy kidney cell. They have already identified a unique ‘signature’ of genetic changes in kidney cells that are caused by low oxygen levels. Importantly, this signature is also linked to kidney cancer. The team think that these genetic changes could be part of the ‘missing link’ that causes some healthy kidney cells to develop into cancer, particularly when they are stressed.
So in this project they will recreate low oxygen conditions in the lab, and investigate exactly how these conditions might lead to DNA changes in cells. Their aim is to unpick each step in the process, starting with working out exactly how the cell senses oxygen levels. They will also investigate how the VHL gene is involved since people with Von Hippel-Lindau disease have changes to the VHL gene, and it is often disrupted in kidney cancer cells too.
Thanks to you, the Curestarter team can now pin down exactly what is happening before cancer develops. From this they can identify important targets along the way that could be useful for new strategies to prevent and treat cancer.
What difference could this project make to patients in the future?
Patients with Von Hippel-Lindau disease sometimes know from a young age that they are likely to develop kidney cancer, but there are currently no effective strategies to help reduce or tackle this risk.
By understanding the exact mechanisms that can lead to kidney cancer, this work could find new ways to help people at risk of developing the disease. This includes those who currently have very limited treatment options, and who must live with the risk of developing kidney cancer every day.
Complete Italy
Kidney cancer
This project hopes to kickstart a new way to prevent kidney cancer developing by better understanding the process that puts some families at a higher risk.
Researcher: Dr Chiara Di Malta
Trying to stop the development of kidney cancer in Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome
Complete Finland
Kidney cancer
By studying the mechanisms that drive the growth of kidney cancer researchers are hoping to discover vital new ways to prevent it progressing and spreading.
Researcher: Dr Sakari Vanharanta
Improving our understanding of how to treat kidney cancer
Complete United Kingdom
Kidney cancer
Researchers hope to improve a current treatment by finding new combination drugs that could work alongside it and help it work for as many patients as possible.
Researcher: Professor Hardev Pandha
Three-pronged attack on kidney cancer
Donate today to start new cures
Be part of the united effort to stop lives being cut short by cancer.