Researchers devise new way of blocking KRAS oncogene

A new means of silencing a leading cancer-causing gene has been developed by US researchers.

Scientists from the University of North Carolina and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, have found a way of blocking the KRAS oncogene, one of the most frequently mutated genes in human cancer.

This method relies on using a specifically sequenced type of small interfering RNA, or siRNA, to halt the activity of KRAS. It was shown to not only dramatically stunt the growth of lung and colon cancers in cultured cells and mice, but also prevented metastasis.

Dr Chad Pecot, an assistant professor of medicine at University of North Carolina, said: "KRAS has been widely regarded as an undruggable protein, but we show that that's simply not the case."

KRAS is a signalling molecule that triggers a cascade of molecular events that allows cells to grow and survive. Mutations in the KRAS gene create a switch that is perpetually active, causing cells to divide uncontrollably.

Many pharmaceutical companies are developing personalised therapies that specifically target and benefit patients who are KRAS mutation-positive.