About

• In the field of cell biology, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), is a protein functioning as a ligand that induces the process of cell death called apoptosis.
• TRAIL is a cytokine (proteins for cell signaling) that is produced and secreted by most normal tissue cells.
• It causes apoptosis primarily in tumor cells, by binding to certain death receptors.
• It has triggered many preclinical cancer treatment studies the world over.
• While the anti-tumour activity of TRAIL in preclinical studies had been strong, in clinical trials, the results were so far unsatisfactory as cancer cells, when exposed long-term, seem to acquire resistance against TRAIL.
• The next round of research has been to find chemicals that can reverse resistance and increase sensitivity of cancer cells to TRAIL.

Why in News?

• Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras have shown that the active compound from the common household spice turmeric — curcumin — can enhance cancer cell death.
• They found that non-toxic concentrations of curcumin can significantly increase the efficiency of TRAIL-induced cell death.
• Curcumin is known to inhibit carcinogenesis and induce apoptosis in various cancer cells.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/iit-m-team-conducts-research-on-cancer-curing-properties-of-turmeric/article32071234.ece

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRAIL