Collaboration on cancer in fish may offer insights into the disease in humans
Cefas scientists are working with the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Institute for Cancer Studies at the University of Birmingham using leading-edge techniques on fish that may help develop new ways of diagnosing and potentially treating liver cancer in humans.
As part of the National Marine Monitoring Programme (NMMP), Cefas scientists have noted high numbers of tumours (up to 14%) in dab and flounder sampled from sites in the open sea and some industrial estuaries. The causes of these high numbers of tumours are now being investigated using the latest technologies such as ‘proteomic’ techniques.
The use of proteomics, hailed as the next frontier in molecular biology, enables researchers to compare the thousands of proteins found in cancer tissue to those found in normal tissue. In the current Cefas study scientists are using proteomics to investigate liver tumours of flatfish. By comparing samples from a range of different environments scientists can potentially identify a number of 'protein profiles' that are characteristic of particular environmental conditions. These protein profiles or ‘biomarkers’ can be measured to pinpoint the specific causes within the environment that might be responsible for changes in the tissue. Potential causes could be chemical, physical or biological. There is evidence that links exposure to certain chemical compounds to the presence of liver disease in bottom-living fish. Physical factors include environmental changes such as temperature, salinity and oxygen levels in the water. Biological factors can be extremely varied, and could include disease agents such as parasites, bacteria and viruses; population density and food availability; spawning activity, etc.
Cefas scientists are collaborating with experts from the CRUK because of the apparent similarity between the liver cancers present in the fish collected under the NMMP and those appearing in humans. By observing the protein changes occurring within these cancers, it may be possible to identify common biomarkers. Eventually, it is hoped that blood plasma samples screened from the fish may be used to identify early-stage cancers, an approach also being pursued in human cancer research. Scientists also hope to gain a greater understanding of cancer progression in fish living in the wild.
In the human arena, proteomics may enable researchers to predict response to treatment rather than just confirm disease, and to construct a systematic way to discover new targets for anti-cancer therapy. Potentially, scientists may be able to create bespoke therapies that target cancer causing proteins of individuals. Such a ‘personalised’ approach could bring hope to a vast number of cancer patients. Indeed, ‘personalised medicine’ is a method already being used to treat chronic leukaemia and breast cancer.
Photo: Typical example of liver tumour found in dab (Limanda limanda) from UK waters.
