The cachexia associated with gastrointestinal cancer, which affects regions such as the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, liver, pancreas, and rectum, is the subject of a research project conducted at the Biotechnology Unit of Unaerp. The article “ACVR2B Polymorphism, Adiponectin, and GDF-15 Levels as Biomarkers for Cachexia in Gastrointestinal Cancer” was published in November in the journal Scientific Reports, part of the Nature group.
This study, which can be accessed here, was developed by professors and researchers from the Graduate Program in Biotechnology, Mozart Marins, Ana Lúcia Fachin, and Renê Beleboni, along with students Laura de Martin Coletti and Gabriela González Segura, in collaboration with the Ribeirãopretano Institute for Cancer Combat. Recently, the research also received an honorable mention at the international conference Next Frontiers to Cure Cancer, organized by the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, which brings together leading oncology experts from Brazil and around the world.
Cachexia is a metabolic syndrome induced by chemotherapy drugs used in cancer treatment, leading to weight loss in patients, resulting in the loss of fat and muscle mass, and it can be fatal in cases of gastrointestinal cancer. According to Professor Ana Lúcia, this is an irreversible process in health. "Cachexia can be triggered by the tumor process and by chemotherapy treatment. When a person develops this metabolic syndrome, there is no improvement. It is an irreversible problem, and the patient eventually dies."
Despite ongoing studies aimed at identifying effective medication for combating cachexia, no treatments currently exist for the condition. With support from Fapesp and the university's own funding, the goal of this research is to enable early diagnosis of the disease and evaluate the chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer that may induce cachexia, in order to identify the best treatments that do not cause this metabolic syndrome.
The project was conducted at the Oncology Center of Ribeirão Preto, with patients from the Unified Health System (SUS), aiming to provide early diagnosis of cachexia through genotyping. “We are attempting genetic diagnoses, molecular diagnostics, and we are also evaluating some parameters to attempt early diagnosis,” says Professor Ana Lúcia.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY PROJECT – Conducted at the Biosciences Laboratory in the Biotechnology Unit at Unaerp, the project involves researchers from undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as contributions from scientific initiation students in the fields of Nutrition, Medicine, and Pharmacy. According to Professor Ana Lúcia, this multidisciplinary participation is crucial because students, both from undergraduate and graduate programs, have access to advanced techniques such as genotyping.
"The publication in this high-impact scientific journal once again highlights the high level of research developed at the Biotechnology Unit. For the community, it represents another advancement in research on the treatment of cachexia, a problem related to cancer," emphasizes Mozart Marins, coordinator of the Graduate Program in Biotechnology, professor, and researcher.
