Apoptosis is a mechanism that causes programmed cell death in our bodies. It all has to do with proteins and enzymes. The cancer cell mechanism is somehow broken and the enzyme that initiates programmed cell death does not work. This allows the cancer cell to grow into tumors.Scientists have found a way to trick the cancer cells into committing suicide by using a synthetic compound that induces apoptosis. Paul J. Hergenrothers, a professor of chemistry at the University of Illinois states “By bypassing the broken pathway, we can use the cells’ own machinery to destroy themselves.”
The scientists think that this can lead to personalized anti-cancer therapy.
