May 18, 2026 | Austin, Minn. — Liver cancer is responsible for more than 700,000 deaths worldwide each year, and in the United States, rates have tripled over the last 40 years, according to the American Cancer Society. But every day, scientists are seeking ways to interrupt its end goal. To save lives, they’re chasing answers that could lead to better treatments and preventative options — and that includes understanding how liver cancer progresses at the molecular level.
At The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, the lab of Professor Jarrod French, PhD, recently advanced this understanding with new discoveries about a protein that could play a key role in how liver cancer spreads. The team of researchers published their study’s findings in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Authors include Researcher 5 Nandini Sharma, PhD, and Dr. French.
In order for cells to grow and divide, they need to make copies of (replicate) their DNA. That DNA contains the genetic instructions for new cells to carry out their essential processes. To support their growth and DNA replication, cells need to make specific molecules called purines, which are the building blocks of DNA.
Purines are extremely important for fast-growing cells — which is precisely why the French Lab studies them. Because cancer cells grow much more quickly than healthy cells of the same kind, slowing down the production of purines may stop cancer growth and progression. The researchers are zeroing in on the purine production pathway that takes place in cells, and this study focuses on how one protein in this pathway operates.
“This pathway is very active in rapidly proliferating cancer cells and represents a vulnerability that we are seeking to exploit for new anti-cancer therapies. In liver cancer, in particular, when purine proteins are present in higher amounts, patient survival is lower,” Dr. French explained.
The power of seeing
Using a powerful form of microscopy called cryogenic-sample electron microscopy, or cryoEM, the French Lab’s study involved mapping and analyzing the 3D structures of a specific human purine biosynthesis protein called phosphoribosylformylglycinamidine synthase. If that’s too much of a mouthful, you can refer to it by its acronym instead: FGAMS.
Researchers mapped three different structures of this purine in various states to better understand how it carries out its chemistry at different stages. It’s sort of like assembling a cartoon flipbook from a series of snapshots in time.
“These structures, supported by some additional biochemistry work that we did, describe a number of interesting and important features and functions of this class of protein, several of them for the first time,” Dr. French said. “Prior to this, there was no structure solved of this protein from any higher organism. The only available structural information was from bacteria.”
What’s next, and why it matters
The work generated by the French Lab advances the field, offering other scientists specific details about how FGAMS operates and how it’s regulated. Beyond this specific protein, their findings also offer better understanding of functional and regulatory mechanisms of similar proteins.
This is the kind of information we ultimately need to provide more effective treatment and preventative options to stop cancer growth.
“Most medicines work by blocking the function of a particular protein. The work will guide us, and other research groups, in our efforts to develop new medicines that target this protein to disrupt purine synthesis and slow cancer growth,” Dr. French said.
Read the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69423-y
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ABOUT THE HORMEL INSTITUTE
Founded in 1942 by Jay C. Hormel and The Hormel Foundation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, advances science through research, education, and community to enhance wellbeing and extend human life. For more than 80 years, we have pursued our mission to conduct research and provide education in the biological sciences with applications in medicine and agriculture. A part of the University of Minnesota's Research and Innovation Office, The Hormel Institute partners with the region's leading biomedical research facilities, including Mayo Clinic.