Findings could impact treatment of cancer

BOULDER — Researchers at CU-Boulder have discovered a protein complex linked to tumor growth in the human body that could be targeted with drugs to stunt the spread of cancer.

The studies recently were published in the industry trade journal Cell. The studies show that a particular protein complex in the human body — including its critical enzyme CDK8 — is required by tumor cells to thrive in low-oxygen conditions, according to a press statement from the University of Colorado-Boulder. As tumors grow, their centers are deprived of oxygen.

The studies also show that the enzyme CDK8 works with a protein called…