Improved treatments for both cancers are urgently needed in New Zealand, so the Cancer Society has given University of Otago (Christchurch) researchers Dr Citra Praditi and Dr Annika Seddon $300,000 each over the next three years, as part of the society’s national research grant round.
Dr Praditi is looking to advance studies into the role of vitamin C (ascorbate) in treating melanoma, and Dr Seddon is studying malfunctioning mitochondria which could lead to new and better ways to treat acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Dr Praditi said she was excited to start her research project.
New Zealand had the world’s highest mortality rate for melanoma. About 300 Kiwis died from the cancer every year.
"Despite recent advances in targeted and immunotherapy treatments, only some patients respond, and improved treatments for melanoma are urgently needed."
She said vitamin C was a strong antioxidant that was important for cellular mechanisms that could suppress cancer growth.
"Recent high-impact studies have shed new light on the role of vitamin C in cancer, and public interest in its potential as a cancer therapy is high.
"Vitamin C is required for the activity of a big group of enzymes, that is thought to prevent resistance to cancer therapies, which is important in treating melanoma patients.
"What we are hoping to discover with this research is to assess the involvement of vitamin C in epigenetic regulation on the modulation of genome accessibility, and hence gene expression under hypoxic conditions in melanoma cells and in clinical samples."
Dr Seddon said her research funding would go towards a search for new treatments for AML — a highly aggressive blood cancer that was particularly common in older adults.
"With limited treatment options and poor survival rates, there is an urgent need for better therapies."
She hoped her study of malfunctioning mitochondria — the tiny power stations in a cell — would lead to new and better ways to treat AML.
"One of the reasons AML is so hard to manage is because of changes in the chemical marks on the DNA (called DNA methylation) that control which genes are turned on or off.
"These changes disrupt normal cell behaviour and prevent the proper formation of healthy blood cells."
She said her research was investigating how stress in the mitochondria might be contributing to these harmful changes, and whether targeted treatments could be used to limit the impact.
"By testing clinically available compounds that protect mitochondria, we hope to restore normal DNA methylation regulation, promote the healthy differentiation of blood cells, and enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments."
In parallel, Dr Seddon said their research would look at how mitochondrial stress altered DNA methylation in healthy bone marrow cells.
"Earlier work from our group has revealed that signs of mitochondrial stress can appear as early as middle age, suggesting this could be used as an early warning signal.
"It has the potential to provide early detection and monitoring over time," she said.
"Our hope is that this research not only leads to better treatment options, but also lays the groundwork for future prevention strategies, helping to stop this devastating cancer before it starts."
