A team led by Professor Kwang-Hyun Cho from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has identified a molecular switch that can revert cancer cells to normal cells by capturing the phenomenon of ‘critical transition’—the moment when normal cells transform into cancer cells.
Critical transition is a phenomenon where sudden state changes occur at a specific point, similar to how water turns into steam at 100°C. The transformation of normal cells into cancer cells due to genetic and epigenetic changes also involves this critical transition.
The research team discovered that during cancer development, normal cells might enter an unstable critical transition state where they coexist with cancer cells, right before being fully converted into cancer cells.
Using systems biology research methods, they identified a molecular switch capable of reverting cancer cells back to their normal state. Applying this technology to actual colon cancer cells, they confirmed through molecular cell experiments that the characteristics of normal colon cells could be restored.
Professor Cho stated, “We have proven that it’s possible to revert the fate of cancer cells by capturing the critical transition moment just before normal cells irreversibly change into cancer cells.”
The results of this study were published online in the international journal ‘Advanced Science’ on the 22nd of last month.