With the help of European funds, a team of German and Italian scientists has developed a new research with peptides that act by a novel inhibitory mechanism and curb cancer cell growth in drug resistant ovarian cancer cells. The scientists point their research will go a long way to helping the some 200,000 women who are diagnosed annually worldwide with ovarian cancer.

Researchers from Germany and Italy has designed peptides that target the protein-protein interface of thymidylate synthase, which is composed of two identical polypeptide chains and plays a key part in the DNA, synthesis crucial for cancer growth. The peptides stabilise the inactive form of the enzyme, show a novel mechanism of inhibition for homodimeric enzymes and inhibit cell growth in drug sensitive and resistant cancer cell lines. The 'Small ligands to interfere with Thymidylate synthase dimer formation as new tools for development of anticancer agents against ovarian carcinoma' (LIGHTS) project was boosted by €1,902,150 of funding under the 'Life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for health' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).

According to scientists the answer is 'octapeptides', peptides that specifically target the protein-protein interface of thymidylate synthase, which is composed of two identical polypeptide chains. Unlike the existing drugs targeting thymidylate synthase, these peptides inhibit intra-cellular thymidylate synthase and cell growth without leading to increased levels of thymidylate synthase protein when administered to ovarian cancer cells.

With this research, the scientists hope helping the some 200,000 women who are diagnosed annually worldwide with ovarian cancer.