Experimental therapy stopped the metastasis of breast and ovarian cancers in lab mice, pointing toward a safe and effective alternative to chemotherapy.
A team of Stanford researchers has developed a protein therapy that disrupts the process that causes cancer cells to break away from original tumor sites, travel through the bloodstream and start aggressive new growths elsewhere in the body.
This process, known as metastasis, can cause cancer to spread with deadly effect.
“The majority of patients who succumb to cancer fall prey to metastatic forms of the disease,” said Jennifer Cochran, an associate professor of bioengineering who describes a new therapeutic approach in Nature Chemical Biology.
Today doctors try to slow or stop metastasis with chemotherapy, but these treatments are unfortunately not very effective and have severe side effects.
The Stanford team seeks to stop metastasis, without side effects, by preventing two proteins – Axl and Gas6 – from interacting to initiate the spread of cancer.
Axl proteins stand like bristles on the surface of cancer cells, poised to receive biochemical signals from Gas6 proteins.
When two Gas6 proteins link with two Axls, the signals that are generated enable cancer cells to leave the original tumor site, migrate to other parts of the body and form new cancer nodules.
To stop this process Cochran used protein engineering to create a harmless version of Axl that acts like a decoy. This decoy Axl latches on to Gas6 proteins in the bloodstream and prevents them from linking with and activating the Axls present on cancer cells.
In collaboration with Professor Amato Giaccia, who leads the Radiation Biology Program in the Stanford Cancer Center, the researchers gave intravenous treatments of this bioengineered decoy protein to mice with aggressive breast and ovarian cancers.
Mice in the breast cancer treatment group had 78 percent fewer metastatic nodules than untreated mice. Mice with ovarian cancer had a 90 percent reduction in metastatic nodules when treated with the engineered decoy protein.
“This is a very promising therapy that appears to be effective and nontoxic in preclinical experiments,” Giaccia said. “It could open up a new approach to cancer treatment.”
The Latest on: Alternative to chemotherapy
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Alternative to chemotherapy” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Alternative to chemotherapy
- New system personalizes chemotherapy doses for cancer patientson April 24, 2024 at 10:50 pm
When cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, the dose of most drugs is calculated based on the patient's body surface area. This is estimated by plugging the patient's height and weight into an equation ...
- A closed-loop drug-delivery system could improve chemotherapyon April 24, 2024 at 2:02 pm
When cancer patients undergo chemotherapy, the dose of most drugs is calculated based on the patient's body surface area. This is estimated by plugging the patient's height and weight into an equation ...
- Teen Daughter Conflicted After Her Mom Asks Her To Cut Off All Her Hair So She Can Wear It As A Wigon April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm
“After a few rounds of chemotherapy and radiation ... Instead of insisting her daughter cut hair, she must seek out alternatives through hair and wig donation programs.
- Cancer patient who tried to cure disease with juice diet and holistic therapies almost died after refusing chemotherapyon April 22, 2024 at 6:06 am
A cancer patient who almost died after trying to treat her illness with a juice diet has warned others against 'cutting out' traditional medical advice.
- Cancer Breakthrough Found to Boost Immune Cells Without Harmful Side-Effects By Directing Protein Cytokineson April 21, 2024 at 7:00 am
A new way to safely boost immune cells to fight cancer—avoiding harmful side-effects such as hair loss—has been developed.
- Researchers develop new method to boost immune cells for fighting canceron April 20, 2024 at 9:23 am
“The whole class of drugs that are employed to jump-start the immune system to fight cancer cells has largely not yet succeeded. Our goal is to create novel solutions that allow researchers to test ...
- Woman who tried to cure her cancer with holistic diet drink almost died after she refused chemotherapy - with ex-model, 39, now saying 'you'll need something harder than carrot ...on April 19, 2024 at 4:59 pm
The former model said instead of chemotherapy, she sought alternatives online and took the advice of a man, who has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, and claims the human body ...
- Kickapoo senior dedicated to career in medicine named Student of the Weekon April 19, 2024 at 3:07 am
Our newest Student of the Week has been named. This week, we are celebrating Aaryan Thavaran of Kickapoo High School.
- Adding ACEI to Chemotherapy Does Not Prevent Cardiotoxicityon April 18, 2024 at 3:25 am
The PROACT trial assessing enalapril in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy showed this approach did not affect cardiac function or the rate of cardiac injury.
- Health Care Practitioners Push for Legislative Solution to Prevent Chemotherapy Shortage “Groundhog Day”on April 15, 2024 at 7:04 am
The American Journal of Managed Care provides insights into the latest news and research in managed care across multimedia platforms.
via Bing News