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A protein that slows the development of breast cancer
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Scientists from McGill University (USA) have identified a new substance that slows the progression of breast cancer and its metastases. The results of the study are published in the journal Clinical Investigation (JCI).
Complications in breast cancer patients are usually caused by the progression of the disease due to cancer metastasis to other parts of the body, most often to the bones and lungs.
The substance that provokes metastasis of breast cancer is the parathyroid hormone binding protein (PTHrP), which is present in high concentrations in the cancerous tumor, and is involved in the key stages of breast cancer development: initiation, progression and metastasis.
"We hope that with the help of the newest methods we will be able to achieve a reduction in the production of this protein, which will affect the reduction of the recurrence, growth and metastasis of breast cancer," says Dr. Richard Kremer, Professor of Medicine at McGill University.
To better understand the role of PTHrP in the development of cancer, scientists removed the protein from the cancerous tumor focus using a technique called "conditional knockout", and then studied how the tumor develops. "The results showed that without the presence of PTHrP in the breast, there was a reduction in tumor growth by 80-90%," says Dr. Cramer. "Removing this hormone from the foci of breast cancer stops not only the growth of the tumor, but also its spread to other organs."
In order to test this strategy on patients, Dr. Kremer and his team developed monoclonal antibodies against PTHrP molecules that mimic antibodies produced as part of the immune response to foreign agents and are widely used in the treatment of cancer. Scientists have been able to stop the growth of human breast tumors implanted in animal models and their metastasis, which in the near future opens the way to clinical trials in humans.
"This discovery is good news for sick people with more aggressive forms of breast cancer who do not respond to standard treatment," says Dr. Kremer.- I see good prospects for more effective treatment of this disease and improving the quality of life for a large number of patients ".
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