Optogenetics: A new tool for cancer investigation and treatment

Optogenetics: A new tool for cancer investigation and treatment Siamak Alizadeh Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1112-7026 Abolghasem Esmaeili Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Science and Technology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Jaleh Barar Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0105-919X Yadollah Omidi Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33328, USA http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0067-2475

Despite the progress made in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, it has remained the second cause of death in industrial countries. Cancer is a complex multifaceted disease with unique genomic and proteomic hallmarks. Optogenetics is a biological approach, in which the light-sensitive protein modules in combination with effector proteins that trigger reversibly fundamental cell functions without producing a long-term effect. The technology was first used to address some key issues in neurology. Later on, it was also used for other diseases such as cancer. In the case of cancer, there exist several signaling pathways with key proteins that are involved in the initiation and/or progression of cancer. Such aberrantly expressed proteins and the related signaling pathways need to be carefully investigated in terms of cancer diagnosis and treatment, which can be managed with optogenetic tools. Notably, optogenetics systems offer some advantages compared to the traditional methods, including spatial-temporal control of protein or gene expression, cost-effective and fewer off-target side effects, and reversibility potential. Such noticeable features make this technology a unique drug-free approach for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It can be used to control tumor cells, which is a favorable technique to investigate the heterogeneous and complex features of cancerous cells. Remarkably, optogenetics approaches can provide us with outstanding tool to extend our understanding of how cells perceive, respond, and behave in meeting with complex signals, particularly in terms of cancer evasion from the anticancer immune system functions.
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