For some proteins, a single mutation , or change in its DNA instructions, is all it takes to tip the balance between functioning normally and causing cancer. But despite causing major disease, these slightly mutated proteins can resemble their normal versions so closely that treatments designed to target mutants could also harm healthy cells. Led by researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center, a new study describes the development of a biologic, a drug derived from natural biological systems, that targets a mutant cancer protein called HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) without attacking its nearly identical normal counterpart on healthy cells.
While still in the early stages, this technique could lead to new therapies to treat cancer patients with HER2 mutations with minimal side effects, the researchers say. "We set out to make an antibody that can recognize a single change in the 600 amino acid building blocks that make up the exposed part of the HER2 protein, which conventional wisdom says is very difficult, said lead study author Shohei Koide, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and member of Perlmutter Cancer Center. "The fact that we were able to detect the difference of a single amino acid so cleanly was a surprise.
" The new findings revolve around HER2, a protein that occurs on the surfaces of many cell types and that turns on signaling pathways that contr.