Attacking the Seeds of Cancer

When cancer returns after treatment, for some, the roots of its recurrence may be a small population of cells known as cancer stem cells. Researchers believe these cells can act as the “seeds” of future tumor growth, surviving chemotherapy and helping tumors re-emerge after a patient appears cancer-free. 

For nearly a decade, Baylor researchers Joseph Taube, B.S. ’03, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, and Daniel Romo, Ph.D., Schotts Professor of Chemistry, have pursued a fungus-derived molecule called ophiobolin A, which has an unusual ability to target those treatment-resistant cells. Their interest in ophiobolin A grew with a discovery early in their partnership. 

“We started to test that molecule and found that indeed it could kill cancer stem cells,” Taube said. “It works against them even better than it works against non-cancer stem cells.”

That finding launched years of collaborative research, merging their complementary fields of expertise: Taube studies the biology of cancer stem cells, while Romo studies and redesigns complex molecules, including ophiobolin A, that could become future drugs. Longstanding National Institutes of Health funding has supported their shared pursuit of an important question: how does this molecule kill these chemotherapy-resistant cells?

Over the past year, students and postdoctoral fellows in both labs have accelerated momentum toward that answer. With their trainees and collaborators, Taube and Romo have published three major papers investigating ophiobolin A, alternative versions of this molecule and its effect on cancer stem cells.

Those studies have brought the team closer to understanding how the molecule works. Their research has identified key protein targets and revealed that ophiobolin A disrupts mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells, helping explain why cancer stem cells appear particularly vulnerable to the compound.

Taube’s research in this area has been centered on breast cancer, but the implications could extend to other forms of cancer as well. While stressing that there is plenty of work yet to be done, these discoveries have advanced research toward a class of therapies designed not merely to shrink tumors but to attack the seeds of cancer itself.

“These discoveries have elevated interest in the molecule and opened new avenues for future therapies,” Romo said. “I think it raises the significance of the potential for this class of molecules.”