Through a grant from the National Cancer Institute and in collaboration with the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Pennington Center s DNA Damage and Repair Laboratory is exploring the mechanisms by which DNA repair proteins heal injured cells. According to Dr. Walter Andy Deutsch, chief of the DNA Damage and Repair Laboratory, this research is especially important in understanding what happens to the bone marrow cells of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. It is almost like taking a pair of scissors to your DNA, cutting it, stripping out the bad part, and then replacing it, he says. Most animal organs have the ability to repair damaged DNA, with a key exception- bone marrow. Deutsch s study is focusing on finding a way to provide bone marrow cells with the necessary DNA repair proteins, so chemotherapy patients can tolerate higher doses of the treatment.
Chemotherapy is the primary weapon doctors use to kill cancerous cell growth.
The paradox is that the same toxicity that kills the cancer cells can inadvertently damage healthy cells, including bone marrow cells. Since bone marrow lacks the critical proteins necessary to repair the damage caused by chemotherapy, the destruction of bone marrow cells is a vital concern. Bone marrow cells manufacture red and white blood cells and platelets, which are essential for life. Red blood cells supply oxygen to the body, white blood cells protect against infection, and platelets are important to blood clotting. Physicians are often forced to reduce the dosage of chemotherapy or even take the patient off of the therapy if too many bone marrow cells are being destroyed.