This Unusual “Rogue DNA” Allows Some Cancers to Thrive—and Scientists Just Found Its Achilles’ Heel

• Researchers have identified a vulnerability in ecDNA, which is a form of rogue DNA that enables some cancers to grow and resist treatment. They found that repetitive DNA sequences called TA repeats can fold into cross-shaped structures, making ecDNA prone to breaking. This fragility could be a target for new cancer therapies.
• A study published in Nature reveals that when Polθ is inhibited, ecDNA becomes unstable, leading to the loss of ecDNA circles in cancer cells. This effect was observed in multiple cancer types, and combining inhibition of Polθ with FANCM depletion enhanced the effect. The discovery could lead to new treatments for cancers that rely on ecDNA.

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