A recent breakthrough has uncovered that aggressive, treatment-resistant cancers may be driven by extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), rogue fragments that separate from chromosomes and reside independently in the cell nucleus.
These ecDNA fragments carry cancer-promoting genes and suppress immune responses, contributing to chaotic replication and aggressive tumor growth. Promisingly, drugs called CHK1 inhibitors, when combined with traditional cancer treatments, were shown to selectively target and destroy ecDNA-rich tumor cells in mice.
Researchers are hopeful this discovery could lead to new therapies, potentially transforming aggressive cancers into treatable conditions.