Cells use complex containers to launch toxic chemicals at their victims

Representational Image

Researchers have developed a remedy to thwart the metastatic spread of breast cancer, a leading cause of death among women. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, showed that by inhibiting a protein called TAK1, the researchers were able to reduce lung metastasis in mice with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

TNBC is a deadliest type of breast cancer that comprises 20 per cent of breast cancer cases and is particularly difficult to treat.

"For this subtype of breast cancer, few treatment options are available to target metastasis, and typically, these treatments are associated with high toxicity," said co-author Min Yu, Assistant Professor from the University of Southern California.

"A better understanding of tumour cells and their interactions with organs and tissues could help us design targeted therapies specific for metastasis," Yu added.

According to the study, TAK1 enables malignant cells from the breast to survive in the lungs and form new metastatic tumours.

Metastasis are the most common cause of cancer-related death.

There is already a potential drug, called OXO -- that can inhibit TAK1 -- and presumably make it much more difficult for breast cancer cells to form lung metastases. However, OXO is not stable in the blood, and therefore would not work in patients, the researcher said.

The researchers developed a nanoparticle -- consisting of a tiny fatty sac -- that works like a smart bomb to carry drugs through the bloodstream and deliver them directly to tumours.

The scientists loaded this nanoparticle with OXO, and used it to treat mice that had been injected with human breast cancer cells. While OXO did not shrink primary tumours in the breast, it greatly reduced metastatic tumours in the lungs with minimal toxic side effects.

"For patients with triple-negative breast cancer, systemic chemotherapies are largely ineffective and highly toxic. So nanoparticles are a promising approach for delivering more targeted treatments, such as OXO, to stop the deadly process of metastasis," Yu noted.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

Highlights: Potato can be a source of high-quality protein Including potato to your daily diet can build

Senior citizens can preserve muscle mass by consuming more protein at breakfast or lunchtime. The body's mechanisms for producing new muscle require

Aurora kinase A (AURKA), AURKB and AURKC proteins regulate each other with surprising twists and turns in female mouse eggs, a finding that may play an

University of Pennsylvania researchers and colleagues have identified protein Del-1 that plays a key role in getting the body back to normal after inflammation.

CRISPR-Cas9 protein was found to help increase the targeting accuracy in the genome editing process, revealed a team of researchers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Karolinska Institutet.

Accumulation of DNA breaks can cause aging, cancer, and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). But a novel toolkit discovered could help repair DNA breaks caused

In women, reduced levels of a protein that binds to and transports sex hormones in the blood may help predict risk of ischemic stroke, stated a preliminary

In mice, halting the activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) protein was found to reverse cardiovascular damage

Simon Kuper on how top players’ diets have changed — and why old habits die hard

A new study from the University of Texas at Austin found that antibodies produced by llamas bind to proteins found on the coronavirus and prevent them from infecting cells.

A new study from Rush University Medical Center looked at the protein, known as suPAR, is a marker of disease severity and aggressiveness as well as activating of the immune system.

Singapore : Springer, c2019.

[S.l.] : SPRINGER VERLAG, SINGAPOR, 2019.

Cham : Springer, 2020.

Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2019]