Focus research 2022 INOV team

Study of the mechanism of action of a cholesterol derivative that activates the immune system against tumors

The team, which has been accredited by the Ligue contre le cancer, studies the deregulation of cholesterol metabolism in various cancers, especially breast, thyroid and melanoma cancers. These translational studies have led to the discovery of a new metabolic branch in the cholesterol pathway, which in humans generates molecules involved in the progression or control of carcinogenesis. One of these molecules is dendrogenin A (DDA). After discovering that DDA is a cholesterol metabolite present in humans and mammals, the team demonstrated that it is a metabolite endowed with tumor suppressor properties, and that it has a chemopreventive effect in metastatic breast cancer and melanoma. In 2022, the team published a high-impact paper in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles on the characterization of a fine mechanism involved in the anti-cancer action of DDA. It demonstrated that treatment with DDA modifies tumor cells, which become ‘normal’ and secrete small vesicles called exosomes, which in turn block tumor progression by activating the immune system against the tumor. This original mechanism throws much light on the physiological properties of DDA in its immunomonitoring action against cancer. The study was made possible thanks to funding from our institutions, the Ligue Contre le Cancer, the Institut National du Cancer, the Toulouse Cancer Santé Foundation and the generosity of the J’y Vais and Elles associations.

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