Cornell veterinary researchers discover molecule to starve cancer cell growth

Ithaca, N.Y. — Veterinary researchers from Cornell University believe they are a step closer to finding a new cancer treatment.

In fact, researchers from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine discovered a molecule that is capable of blocking cells from using glutamine, an amino acid that cancerous cells need to grow. Dubbed 968 by the researchers, the molecule binds to the enzyme glutaminase and blocks the cancer cell's use of the nutrient.

The finding could lead to the development of new drugs that inhibit or stop cancer growth and leave healthy cells unharmed. While the concept of blocking the altered metabolic process of cancerous cells is not novel, Cornell reports, the team discovered that 968 was able to shrink tumor cell size in mice.

After finding success with breast cancer cells, the research team plans to test 968 on other forms of cancer, with an eventual goal of finding a concentrated class of molecules that have similar effects in human cancer cell growth.