Turn cancer cells into normal cells 0
Cancer cells stop dividing when scientists apply the brakes.
According to the Telegraph, reprogramming cancer cells, turning them into normal cells, is a breakthrough research step, promising new treatment methods, even reversing the tumor growth process.
Breast, lung and bladder cancer cells were first transformed into harmless cells, by restoring cell functions that prevented them from replicating and overgrowing.
According to scientists at Mayo Hospital, Florida, USA, this is like using the brakes on a speeding car.
Research to date has only been performed on human cells in the laboratory, however, researchers hope that this technique will soon be used to treat malignant tumors, `turning off` cancer that the disease causes.
`We were able to rebuild the brake system and restore benign cell function,` said Professor Panos Anastasiadis, Department of Cancer Biology.
`Initial testing on several cancers is very promising,` he said.
Normally, cells divide continuously to create new replacement cells.
Scientists discovered that the glue that holds cells together is regulated by biological microprocessors called microRNAs.
`Currently we experiment on human cells with breast cancer and bladder cancer,` said Dr. Anastasiadis.
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Cancer experts in the UK say the study has solved the puzzle that has puzzled biologists for decades: why cells do not prevent cancer cells from growing naturally.
`This is an amazing discovery,` said Dr. Chris Bakal.
Henry Scowcroft, senior scientific manager of the UK Cancer Research Program, commented that this important research has solved a long-standing biological mystery.
