Synthetic DNA suppresses cancer gene in laboratory
Researchers reduced activity of the MYC gene by 50 to 80 per cent, but the method is not yet a treatment for patients.
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British researchers have developed a method for directing synthetic DNA molecules straight at a difficult-to-reach part of the genome. In laboratory experiments, the technique reduced the activity of MYC, a gene involved in the growth of many forms of cancer.
The research focused on so-called triplex-forming oligonucleotides, short synthetic DNA strands that can attach themselves to a specific double DNA strand. The researchers added an artificial base, called Z, to enable binding to GC-rich DNA regions at normal acidity.
GC-rich regions contain relatively high amounts of guanine and cytosine. Such sections of DNA often play a role in gene regulation, but are difficult to target because the double DNA structure is stable and can adopt alternative forms. The new base is intended to reduce that limitation.
According to their publication, the researchers tested the method on two regulatory regions of the promoter of MYC. According to the peer-reviewed study in Nucleic Acids Research, the modified DNA strands formed stable and selective bonds there. In reporter experiments and in the natural MYC gene, gene activity was suppressed by 50 to 80 per cent.
That result does not mean that a new cancer treatment already exists. According to the publication, the experiments took place in laboratory systems and cell cultures. Further research is still needed into such matters as delivery in the body, performance in different tissues, safety and possible unwanted effects.
The researchers emphasise that the artificial base used is commercially available. That availability could help other laboratories reproduce and test the method. In theory, the same approach could also be adapted for other genes, but that remains a research direction and is not a demonstrated medical application.
MYC is biologically important because its overactivity is associated with the growth of many cancers. That is precisely why a method for influencing this gene selectively could be of interest to fundamental research. According to the researchers, the current study shows that direct, programmable influence over DNA is possible under certain circumstances; it does not show that tumours become smaller in humans or that patients benefit from it.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The central findings and the status of the research were checked against the university and the published study. The text makes clear that this is laboratory research, not a proven treatment.
- confirmed The study was published in Nucleic Acids Research on 3 November 2026. — Mentioned by the University of Portsmouth and included in the publication details of the study. source
- confirmed The modified DNA molecules reduced MYC activity by 50 to 80 per cent in laboratory experiments. — The university gives this percentage; the research abstract reports 50 to 80 per cent suppression in the assays used. source
- confirmed The method is not yet a treatment for patients. — The university states that further research is needed before application in patients is possible. source
- confirmed MYC is involved in the growth of many forms of cancer. — The university describes MYC as a gene that can drive the growth of many cancers when overactive. source
Editor's note
The study is peer-reviewed and demonstrates activity in laboratory experiments and cell-related assays. There is no evidence of efficacy or safety in patients; the claim about medical applications remains a prospect for the future.Sources
- Scientists revive decades-old approach to target cancer-linked genes using synthetic DNA — University of Portsmouth
- Sequence-specific targeting of GC-rich gene loci by parallel triplex-forming oligonucleotides containing a modified nucleobase — Nucleic Acids Research via PubMed Central
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „synthetisch dna”
- RTL Nieuws — „synthetisch dna”
- NOS — „synthetisch dna”