A new agent "absorbs" cancer cells
Last reviewed: 16.05.2018
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Researchers from the United States have developed a unique tool that will help stop the spread of cancer throughout the body.
The drug has already been tested in laboratory animals and experiments have shown a sufficiently high efficiency of the new method. The agent acts like a sponge, revealing pathological cells in the blood before they start to spread from the primary focus and hit other organs.
The discovery was made at the State Research University of Michigan and scientists published the results of work in one of the world's leading scientific publications (Nature Communications).
Specialists explained, by what principle a drug was developed that attracts atypical cells.
It is known that cancer cells spread not randomly, but move to certain parts of the body (now the exact principle of such "behavior" of atypical cells is unknown). Given this feature, scientists have developed a unique bait that attracts leukocytes, and with them cancer cells, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to other organs. Experiments on rodents showed that the drug reduces the spread of cancer by 88% compared to the control group of rodents by 88%.
The new device is made in the form of a small implant (0.5 cm) made of biological materials that are allowed for use in medical devices. The experiments were carried out on rodents with breast cancer. All experimental mice were injected with implants under the skin or subcutaneous fat. An immediate immune reaction was observed on the "foreign body" and leukocytes started to collect on the surface of the implant, which attracted cancer cells (it is known that atypical cells select places of accumulation of leukocytes). Next, the implant absorbed cancer cells that were nearby, preventing them from moving further. Also, scientists found that the implant blocked the growth of cells, while not damaging the adjacent tissue.
In the future plans of the scientific group to conduct clinical trials involving people. Researchers hope that the new implant drug, which will implant under the skin of patients with breast cancer, will help oncologists identify the disease in the initial stages, monitor the course of the disease and prevent recurrent cases of breast cancer, which will increase the efficiency of treatment by an order of magnitude. According to scientists, this technology can be applied to patients who are at risk (genetically predisposed, having close relatives with this pathology, working in harmful industries, after injuries, etc.).
In addition, a team of scientists from Michigan intends to apply this method for the treatment of other cancers, for example, the prostate or thyroid gland.
Experts say that more opportunities for developing new methods for diagnosis and treatment of cancer tumors will be after it becomes clear why atypical cells move purposefully and affect certain areas of the body.