Uses of Biological Sciences in Oncology Research

Introduction

Biological sciences, including anatomy, biophysics, microbiology, molecular biology, genetics, neurobiology, physiology, and molecular biosciences, are important in the field of medical science. Anatomy helps in knowing the structure of the body and body parts, while physiology deals with the functioning of the human body. Molecular biology is more about studying the structure and function of cellular molecules, while microbiology talks about the biology of microscopic organisms. Hence, in-depth knowledge of the biological sciences has led to the study of human beings, abnormal changes in the body, diagnosis of diseases, identification of the cause of the disease, and drugs to treat the same.

How Biological Sciences Contributed to Oncology Research?

All the major discoveries in cancer have been made because of the biological sciences and research. About 40 years ago, scientists studied how retroviruses have been responsible for causing cancer, which subsequently led to the discovery of the first human oncogene. An oncogene is a gene that transforms a normal cell into a cancer cell. The genomic changes associated with 33 different types of cancer were cataloged by the Cancer Genome Atlas. The drug Pembrolizumab was discovered after a 3-year funded research on cancer immunology and genetics. It was the first tumor-agnostic precision medicine invented, and it helps cure 15 types of cancer.

What Is the Role of Molecular Biology in Cancer Treatment?

Cancer is a genetic disease caused due to expression of oncogenesis. Retrovirus can cause viral infections and infect their host by insertion of oncogenes in the host’s chromosomes or through other methods like interfering with proto-oncogene transcription factors, etc. Oncogene activation can happen due to the mutation of cellular proto-oncogenes to oncogenes or by infection of tumor viruses in the cells. Converting a proto-oncogene to an oncogene is made possible by translocation, chromosome rearrangement, or gene mutation due to addition, deletion, duplication, or viral infection. Drugs targeting these oncogenes are identified to prevent cancer spread or the proliferation of cancer cells. Silencing of oncogenes, retroviral therapy, and mutation in tumor suppressor genes are some of the developed techniques to diagnose and treat cancer.

1. Oncogenes: Oncogenes help in treating oncogene cancer. The genes are targeted by drugs and gene therapies for inhibition, arrest, regulation, or senescence of their genes. For example, Bevacizumab or Sorafeni are targeted on VEGF oncogenes, while Gefitinib, Tarceva, or Erlotinib are targeted on EGFR oncogenes. These drugs are used in combination with chemotherapy.

2. Tumor Suppressor Genes: Tumor suppressors help in the inhibition of tumor development by slowing the cellular proliferation of cancer cells. Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes causes abnormal cancer cell proliferation. For example, the p53 tumor suppressor gene plays a role in programmed cell death and regulation of the cell cycle. It helps arrest the cell cycle when there is damage to the DNA and allows the DNA to repair. The p53 mutation is estimated to be the cause of most of the common tumors occurring in humans. Tumor suppressor genes are studied extensively in cancer and non-cancerous cells based on the levels of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), mRNA (messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid)), and proteins using various methods.

What Is the Contribution of Biological Science to Cancer Treatment?

Different techniques have been identified to treat cancer, including:

1. Surgery: Surgical removal of any tumor is recommended to remove the tumor, debulk a tumor, and ease cancer-related symptoms. Other types of surgeries without using cuts and scalpels are cryosurgery, hyperthermia, lasers, and photodynamic therapy.

2. Radiation Therapy: This is the most commonly employed treatment method. It uses high radiation to kill cancer cells and thereby helping to shrink tumors. It slows down tumor progression by DNA damage, allowing them to get damaged beyond repair and finally be eliminated from the body.

3. Chemotherapy: Conventional chemotherapeutic drugs are 5-Fluorouracil, Doxorubicin, Irinotectan, and platinum derivatives. These will interfere with the DNA and RNA metabolism and replication that occur during the S-phase of the cell cycle.

4. Immunotherapy: It is a treatment technique that allows the body to fight against cancer. The different types of immunotherapies include immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and T-cell transfer therapy.

5. Adjuvant Therapy: Adjuvant therapy is a treatment method for reducing the chances of recurrence and also helping remove cancer along with other therapies. For example, Tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors are used for breast cancer as adjuvant therapy.

6. Hormonal Therapy: Hormonal therapy is used along with radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or surgery. Hormone therapy involves the use of hormones to remove, add or block certain hormones in the body. They help shrink the tumor before radiation and are also used in metastatic and recurrent cancer.

7. Targeted Growth Signal Inhibition: Cancer growth inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy that attacks cancer-specific cells while causing less damage to the healthy cells. They help prevent cancer by allowing the immune system to destroy cancer cells, interrupting signals that will help cancer cells grow, deliver toxins to cancer cells, and make cancer starve for the hormones and signals needed for their proper functioning.

8. Apoptosis-Inducing Drugs: Apoptosis is a process involving genetically regulated cell death. Most drugs used nowadays are responsible for partial apoptosis. BCL-2 inhibitors are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a drug for cancer therapy.

9. Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology paved the way for targeting therapies directly and also selectively to cancerous cells. Nanomaterials are being used in cancer therapy, and they are materials in the nano range of 1–100 nm. They possess unique magnetic, optical, and electrical properties. These particles have been found to overcome the lack of specificity and toxicity and enhance bioavailability as well as drug capacity.

10. RNA Expression and Profiling: RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the methods used in treating cancer. Inhibition of translation into proteins is done by using an mRNA that will bind with other mRNA and result in loss of gene function. In cancer therapy, these RNAi are used to interfere with the cancer genes and destroy them, thereby preventing cancer proliferation.

11. CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Sequences): CRISPR is a powerful tool used for genome editing. This helps in the targeted manipulation of any gene. It also helps in detecting cancer. Genome editing is a new technique for the treatment of cancer, and it includes using engineered nucleases that have specific domains that will bind to the target site and cleave to it. They induce double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the target and DNA repair mechanism activation. Zinc finger proteins (ZNFs) are the first to be used for gene editing.

Conclusion

Cancer being a genetic disease, is extensively studied in molecular biology to know the various causes like oncogene activation, mutagenesis due to external factors, and malfunction of tumor suppressor genes. Ongoing studies and research in the biological sciences will help find innovative technologies and treatment breakthroughs in the future. Newer scientific tools and technologies will help revolutionize cancer research.