Researchers have been investigating the genetics behind the radiation therapy response in an effort to develop more personalized radiation treatments, similar to how targeted drugs are being used.
A new study has shown that microRNAs may be the lynchpin of this work. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
The researchers found that miR-34, a specific type of microRNA, can sit silently in an inactive state in a cell, waiting for a signal to turn it on. Looking at human cell lines, the researchers found that cells had an abundance of miR-34 before radiation treatment, but they were inactive. After radiation, the miR-34 was activated in response to a protein called ATM.
According to the researchers, the findings have the potential to improve radiation therapy to target tumors and not healthy tissues. MiR-34 may also be able to predict patients that are more radiosensitive or radioresistant. Additional studies are planned to investigate these aspects.