Scientists from the University of California in Los Angeles have developed a revolutionary drug against ulcerative colitis (NJC) - a severe inflammatory bowel disease that can lead to cancer.

The new drug is an inhibitor of the micro-RNA-214 molecule, which is involved in the transfer of genetic information.

A high level of micro-RNA-214 is observed in people with NNC who have an increased risk of colon cancer.

However, until now, researchers do not know exactly why colitis contributes to the development of cancer.

In a two-year study, members of the Johnson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA, Dr. Dimitrios Iliopoulos and Dr. Christos Polytarchou, analyzed over 400 samples of large intestine tissue from participants from Europe and the United States. Among them were samples of patients with NNC, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, sporadic and colitis-associated colorectal cancer, as well as samples of healthy people.

Initially, their work was aimed at improving the molecular diagnosis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, but unexpectedly the researchers discovered a powerful chemical inhibitor of micro-RNA-214, which can be used as a medicine.

"The first steps toward creating a completely new drug substance usually take five to six years, but we made this unexpected discovery in a short two-year study organized for a completely different purpose. This is a huge success, "says Dr. Iliopoulos.

According to the professor, the new chemical inhibitor of micro-RNA-214 proved to be extremely effective not only in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, but also in the treatment of colitis-associated cancer. This is evidenced by the results of a series of experiments on mice.

To date, colorectal cancer is the third most deadly oncological diseases in the US. The American Cancer Society (ACS) states that in 2015, 93,000 new cases of intestinal cancer are expected in the United States, and nearly 50,000 Americans this year will die from this disease.

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