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By Biocat

The Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) Translational Research in Child Cancer Group is leading a European project to study microRNA as a therapeutic tool for neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is normally found in the adrenal glands or nerve cells, near the spinal cord, and is normally diagnosed in children under 5, according to Canal Salut. It is considered a high-risk cancer and, thus, patients undergo chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and autograft stem-cell and biological transplants. However treatment isn’t always enough and, even when it is, can have serious long-term side effects.

MicroRNA (miRNA) are non-coding RNA molecules (meaning that they aren’t translated into proteins) that can regulate some genes and reduce the risk of becoming resistant. This characteristic is key for the new research being carried out at the VHIR, which aims to use microRNA to attack neuroblastoma cancer cells that have become resistant to other therapies. The study uses a full collection of miRNA, approximately 2,000 units, with the aim of restoring levels in cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy and monitoring their response. Moreover, they will also evaluate miRNA levels in tumor samples retrospectively in order to see whether their expression can determine how aggressive a cancer is or how it will respond to treatment.

The hope is that microRNA will lead to development of a more effective treatment for the disease. The VHIR, which has been doing research on the characterization of microRNA for potential therapeutic tools or markers, is participating in this groundbreaking study that is the only one of its kind in Spain, coordinated by Miquel Segura, biochemist and head researcher at the center’s Translational Research in Child Cancer group.

More information is available on the VHIR website.

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