Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts
10:27

Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts

Published on: July 25, 2020

7.8K

Unfolding ecDNA as a pan-cancer therapeutic target

Yang Zhang1, Ruirui Chen1,2, Haiyun Gan1

  • 1Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Synthetic Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Quantitative Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.

Medical Review (2021)
|October 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) fuels cancer evolution and is linked to poor outcomes, making it a key therapeutic target. Understanding ecDNA

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) is prevalent in tumors and associated with adverse clinical outcomes.
  • ecDNA significantly contributes to cancer cell evolution and progression.
  • Targeting ecDNA presents a promising therapeutic strategy for various cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent advances in understanding ecDNA's role in tumorigenesis and maintenance.
  • To explore novel strategies for developing ecDNA-targeted cancer therapies.

Main Methods:

  • This perspective synthesizes findings from recent scientific literature.
  • It reviews mechanisms of ecDNA formation, function, and propagation in cancer cells.

Main Results:

  • ecDNA actively drives cancer cell evolution and promotes tumorigenesis.
  • Specific mechanisms underlying ecDNA maintenance within cancer cells are being elucidated.
  • These insights are crucial for developing targeted therapeutic interventions.

Conclusions:

  • Targeting ecDNA holds significant potential for effective cancer treatment.
  • Further research into ecDNA biology will accelerate the development of novel therapies.
Keywords:
ecDNAecDNA maintenancetherapeutic target

More Related Videos

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies07:29

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies

Published on: June 20, 2015

20.1K
An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues10:41

An Integrated Platform for Genome-wide Mapping of Chromatin States Using High-throughput ChIP-sequencing in Tumor Tissues

Published on: April 5, 2018

10.8K

Related Concept Videos

Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
8.6K
DNA Helicases00:55

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
23.8K
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
5.9K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.9K
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:06

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic...
5.4K
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell02:21

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
14.5K