Scientists say they have found a new way to kill some multiplying human breast cancer cells by selectively attacking the core of their cell division machinery.

A summary of the scientists’ findings are published Sept. 9 in Nature.

«Some of the most widely used cancer drugs already kill rapidly dividing cells,» says Andrew Holland, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology and genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. «However, most of these drugs have notable drawbacks, including killing healthy cells, such as fast-multiplying bone marrow cells, along with the cancer cells.»

Holland, whose research focuses on mammalian — including human — cell division also notes that unchecked mistakes in cell division can fuel genetic errors that, in some cases, go on to develop into cancer cells.

Because all mammalian cells have similar processes for cell division, Holland and his team have looked for cell division mechanisms specific to cancer cells in a variety of lab-grown cells.

During their search, he says, they came across a line of human breast cancer cells that are very dependent on cell structures called centrioles to divide and survive. Centrioles act as the structural core of centrosomes, which organize thin tubes of proteins that give cells their shape and help separate DNA when the cell divides. However, many cells can divide without centrioles and centrosomes.

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