UT Researchers Find Two New Ways to Outsmart Cancer Cells

Scientists at the University of Texas just figured out how to trick cancer cells at their own game, and the results could transform how we fight one of humanity's toughest enemies.

Two separate research teams at UT found entirely new ways to attack cancer by working with the body's natural chemistry instead of against it. Both discoveries target problems that have stumped doctors for years: how to kill aggressive tumors and how to stop cancer cells from hiding.

The first breakthrough reads like a spy thriller. UT chemistry researchers Lulu Cambronne, Ken Hsu, and Xiaoding Jiang developed a two-part compound that performs what Cambronne calls a "magician's trick." The compound first tricks cancer cells into gorging on sugar, then cuts off their backup energy source of fat.

"They need energy to keep going," Cambronne explained. Instead of trying to starve cancer cells, "we're accelerating that process downstream and we're cutting off its other source."

The result? Tumors stop growing and cancer cells die off. The team tested it successfully on melanoma, one of the most aggressive cancers, and believe it could work on other solid tumors and blood cancers too.

The second discovery tackles a sneakier problem. Some cancer cells go dormant and recruit immune system cells to protect them, making standard immunotherapy treatments backfire. Postdoctoral researcher Bryan McClellan and Dr. William Matsui found these resistant cells in pancreatic cancer were producing high amounts of a protein called EREG.

The team created an antibody that blocks EREG, making tumors receptive to treatment again. This drug could work alongside current therapies to stop cancer cells from evading treatment altogether.

The Ripple Effect

These aren't just potential new drugs. They're fundamental discoveries about how cancer actually works at the cellular level. That knowledge will fuel research far beyond these two specific treatments.

Matsui believes his team's drug could reach clinical trials in three to five years, depending on funding. The sugar-and-fat approach will take longer, about five to ten years, as researchers work to make the compound stable and safe for humans.

Both teams plan to test their approaches on multiple cancer types. For millions of patients and families facing cancer diagnoses each year, these breakthroughs represent something powerful: proof that we're getting smarter about outsmarting this disease.

The best part? These treatments could make existing therapies work better, giving hope to patients whose cancers have stopped responding to current options.