Anil Sood, MD, leads as professor and vice chair of translational research in the Departments of Cancer Biology and Gynecologic Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. In addition, Dr. Anil Sood directs the Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program and is co-leader of the Ovarian Cancer Moon Shot Program.
In the spring of 2018, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported the identification of a mutant protein linked to the growth of ovarian cancer. The mutated protein, p53-R175H, develops from the normal p53 gene that breaks down quickly within healthy cells. The mutated version, however, forms stable protein clusters that are both carcinogenic and prone to drug resistance.
Data has shown that removal of the p53-R175H mutated protein from cancer cells can instigate the cell death process and improve the cell's responsiveness to chemotherapy. However, researchers needed a way to accomplish this end without reducing levels of the healthy protein, as doing so can also lead to the development of cancer.
The research team found their answer in the molecule MCB613, which had proven effective in treating ovarian cancer in mice. The team discovered that the molecule reduced the levels of the mutant protein but not the healthy version, as it acted directly on the protein itself. They further found that the mutant protein had a higher level of sensitivity to ovarian steroids, a discovery that may provide a pathway toward two-fold treatment.
