Dr. Henske on the Potential Role of Glutathione in Chromophobe RCC

Elizabeth Petri Henske, MD, director of the Center for LAM Research and Clinical Care, co-director of the Pulmonary Genetics Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and professor at Harvard Medical School, discusses the potential role of glutathione in chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Glutathione is an antioxidant that is produced in cells, says Henske. In the rare chromophobe subtype of RCC, Henske and fellow researchers hypothesize that glutathione could provide a tool for therapeutic targeting.

Additionally, glutathione may provide insight into tumor growth and explain why patients with chromophobe RCC accumulate abnormal mitochondria, Henske explains.

Chromophobe RCC represents approximately 5% of all RCC. Currently, the lack of tissue specimens, cell lines, and animal models makes chromophobe a challenging subtype to study, concludes Henske.