Scientists Discover a Way to Stop Cancer Cells from Multiplying!
A new study suggests that cells preparing to divide can reverse this process and return to a resting state, challenging long-held beliefs about cell division.
Researchers found that if interrupted early in their preparation to divide, cells were able to halt the division process (known as mitosis) providing hope that more effective treatments could interrupt the process by which cancer cells divide quickly and spread.
Scientists at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research captured videos of thousands of cells undergoing cell division and watched what happened to those cells when the small bioactive proteins or peptides (called mitogens) that activate cell division were withdrawn. About 15% of the cells exited the cell cycle and returned to a resting state.
The cells that stopped dividing hadn’t been as far along as others in the cycle when they stopped receiving growth-promoting signals. In experiments with many different kinds of cells, researchers found that all types of cells were capable of exiting the cell cycle if interrupted early enough.