BRITISH scientists have discovered a “breakthrough” new treatment that kills virulent cancer stem cells suspected of driving tumour growth and causing recurring disease.
The therapy — a genetically engineered protein — targets the “master cells” that can form new cancer cells and are resistant to conventional drug treatment.
Initial trials show the drug, TR4, kills these cells in human cancer tumours transplanted into mice. Scientists say the targeting of cancer stem cells is a “paradigm shift” in the treatment of cancers.
Agamemnon Epenetos, a visiting professor at Imperial College London and chairman of Trojantec, the company developing the drug, said: “We have taken [human] bowel, ovarian and breast cancer cells and transplanted them into mice. These are very aggressive tumours and they are disappearing with this treatment within days.
“If you can get rid of cancer stem cells, then it is a major advance in the fight against cancer. The cancer stem
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