New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) An international team of researchers from the UK and China has shown how cancer builds up resistance to chemotherapy — one of the biggest challenges in the treatment of the deadly disease.
Using a mice study, the early-stage research, led by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, and Sun Yat-sen University, China showed that Stiripentol — a drug currently used to treat epilepsy — can help reverse cancer’s resistance to chemotherapy, which will help shrink tumours and prolong survival.
In the study, the team zeroed in on lactate — the product that builds up as cancer cells convert nutrients to energy — which was found to be most abundant in chemotherapy-resistant cancer tissues.
For the study, published in the journal Nature, the researchers examined tissue from 24 patients with stomach cancer, where 15 of the cancers were resistant to chemotherapy and the tumours had continued to grow.
Stiripentol and chemotherapy reduced the size of tumours — for four weeks after treatment — in mice with stomach cancer. These also survived for longer — for more than 70 days.
In comparison, tumours in mice treated with chemotherapy alone shrunk for one week and started to grow again. With only chemotherapy, no mice survived for longer than 40 days after treatment.
Further, lactate was also found responsible for altering the structure of a key protein involved in DNA repair, called NBS1, and affecting its efficiency.
The researchers believe that lactate may be behind chemotherapy resistance in other cancers such as “pancreatic, lung and ovarian cancers”.
“This extremely promising research has uncovered a likely mechanism for how cancer evades chemotherapy,” said Professor Axel Behrens, Professor of Stem Cell Biology at The Institute of Cancer Research.
“In our early-stage study, we’ve seen that you can prevent the build-up of lactate and make a tumour that was resistant to chemotherapy sensitive again — the treatment continues to work,” Axel added.
–IANS
rvt/uk
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
