Inhibiting protein aids cancer treatment
9 September 2008 00:00 in Industry related health news
Researchers have said that inhibiting a protein can help prevent the growth of cancer cells and kill off tumour cells.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and the Institute of Cancer Research, published today claims that drugs which inhibit the HSP70 protein as well as those which block HSP90 help kill cancer cells.
New drugs which inhibit HSP70 could be developed and help with cancer treatment, the report claims.
Lead author professor Paul Workman said that the study's findings were surprising and that knocking out two particular proteins HSC70 and HSP72, forms of the HSP70 protein, caused cell death only in cancer cells.
"What?s most exciting is that not only can knocking out both HSC70 and HSP72 eliminate the dangerous cancer-causing proteins, but in addition this approach can kill cancer cells much very more effectively than normal cells," he said.
"We hope that in the future, drugs can be designed to inhibit the HSP70 proteins, following on from those that already block HSP90, to stop tumour growth and kill off cancer cells."
Professor Herbie Newell, Cancer Research UK?s executive director of clinical and translational research, added: "This is a great example of why cancer research is such an exciting field. There are constantly new discoveries being made that challenge our current ways of thinking and that open up new doors for developing better and more targeted therapies."
Other news stories from 09/09/2008
Recent news
Read more in the Zenopa News Archive
How this news is generated
Story collated for Zenopa by the Adfero News Agency
