British scientists are working on developing a new cancer treatment that works according to a system that eliminates cellular waste from the body.
And participate in the process of developing the treatment 15 researchers from the Center for Protein Analysis, which was established through a donation of 9 million pounds to the Institute of Cancer Research in London.
Commenting on the research by the team of scientists, Professor Ian Collins from the Institute of Cancer Research said: “Many newer cancer drugs work by inhibiting the function of harmful proteins, but what is new in our technology is that they are eliminated, that is, these types of proteins.”
“Our cells have developed highly efficient technology to remove harmful proteins. However, the proteolytic processes in our cells only recognize a specific number of them,” Collins added.
He continued, “Science has found a way for cells to recognize harmful proteins, which are usually involved in the growth and development of tumors. This is how we alert cells to add these proteins to the list of things to get rid of.”
Collins indicated that the drug “lenalidomide”, which analyzes the protein, and is used in the treatment of myeloma for leukemia, follows the same technology, and can be modified according to their findings, explaining: “Drugs such as lenalidomide can determine the molecule that would have continued to perform its function. in promoting cancer. In short, they are marked to get rid of them, and they are guaranteed to be shredded and destroyed.”
The researchers also found a similar type of drug to target breast cancer, known as a selective estrogen receptor agonist, that inactivates a protein that drives this type of cancer.
The newspaper “The Guardian” quoted Collins that his team is currently focused on developing anti-cancer drugs based on the idea of ”breaking down the protein”, pointing out that the success of their project may lead to drugs that treat other types of diseases.