Targeting DNA polymerases

Targeting DNA polymerases is useful for anti-viral and anti-cancer therapies because they are one of the first controls for cellular misbehavior. Viruses and cancer both thrive from the replication of genetic information. Viruses, inhabit a cell and then destroy it when they’re done borrowing polymerases to transcribe themselves. In the case of cancer, mutations cause polymerases to become active or inactive ultimately resulting in over-expression and overgrowth. Pol beta is considered to be a tumor suppressor but if it’s not active, tumors can grow. In a patient with excessive cell growth, one assay could check for the relative presence of Pol beta in cells outside of a tumor, and if so, therapy could be developed to stimulate the activity or production of Pol B.

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