Look up mutations that are common in different cancer types and discuss on them, as well as therapies that target those mutations. Additionally you can look up histone modifications and their role in cancer and cancer therapies. Read those 2 articles and ask a curios question as a title and start an engaging discussion with other students. Use the following 2 articles for the assignment.
Use the following journals in writing the post:
1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-024-02827-z
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9012285/
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667005422000643#:~:text=Evidence%20has%20revealed%20that%20histone,to%20various%20diseases%2C%20including%20cancer.
Use the following example as a guide:
Are therapies targeting histone modifications the most effective approach for treating cancers driven by epigenetic changes?
The modifications of histones play crucial roles when regulating the expression of genes by altering the chromatin structure. Chemical changes such as methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation can either suppress or promote gene activity. In cancer, abnormal histone modifications can silence tumor suppressor genes or activate oncogenes, leading to uncontrolled cell growth.
Types of epigenetic therapies, specifically histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, have emerged as a promising avenue for cancer therapy. By creating an increase in histone acetylation, these inhibitors can reactivate silenced tumor suppressor genes, restoring normal cell function. Several HDAC inhibitors have been approved for treating certain blood cancers, and research is ongoing to expand their use to solid tumors.
On top of HDAC inhibitors, drugs that target histone methylation are being explored as well. Certain types of cancer rely on specific methylation patterns to push their growth, and disrupting these modifications has shown potential in certain preclinical studies.
However, even though targeting histone modifications does show promise, there are still some questions. There are some cancers that develop a resistance to these promising treatments, and unintentional effects on normal cells can lead to issues. Given these limitations, are histone-modifying therapies the most effective approach, or should they be combined with other treatments for better outcomes? Could personalized approaches based on a patient’s specific histone modification profile improve their success rate