A group of US scientists from London have made exciting new discoveries in which they were able to turn cancerous cells benign. The researches revealed a new strategy that could take cancer therapy to new heights. They have come close to finding the biology that provides the software for turning off cancer.
Breast and bladder cancers were successfully treated and the researchers believe it could work with other types of cancer as well. Future tests will deal with lung cancer, which is to blame for one in five cancer deaths in Britain.
There are about 150,000 deadly cases of cancer in Britain each year, and while the research is still in its initial stage it is hoped that soon the fatal disease will not be as spread.
The team, tired of the passive effects of conventional drugs, thought that instead of killing the cancers, they could render it harmless instead. The synthetic protein that programs the cancer cells to reduce was dubbed as PLEKHA7. When the protein comes in contact with the tumor it helps the remaining healthy cells to clump together, stopping the cancerous cells to multiply, therefore ending the entire spread process.
Initial experiments involving human cells from highly aggressive types of cancer successfully showed that the tissue can be made normal again. The results are indeed promising. In a couple of years, this approach to treating cancer might just make the difference of whether or not a legitimate cure for the disease was finally discovered.
The researchers say that a couple of more years of research is needed before applying the technique on humans. And that the treated patients will most likely have to endure some chemotherapy as well.
When confronted with the research, other British experts were astonished, and described it as being a revolutionary step in the treatment of cancer, but they warned us that we will still have to wait a while in order for this feat to cure actual patients.
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