Study reveals promising cure for prostate cancer
POSTED February 22, 2010 - 12:55 | POSTED BY Neha Jindal
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on February 22, 2010 - 13:58
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles genetically altered human stem cells to obtain an improved understanding of the spread of cancer in the human body.
They established that gaining knowledge of the cause of stem cells turning cancerous could aid in a better diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
Lead researcher, Dr. Owen Witte, investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California said, “One of the hallmarks of stem cells is that they self-renew, which also makes their DNA vulnerable to collecting mistakes in the genetic code. When this results in uncontrolled cell growth, it leads to cancer.”
“The technique could assist the ‘fine tuning’ of new anti-cancer drugs,” added Witte.
Details of the study
The research team examined the affiliation of tissue stem cells and cancer stem cells in the prostate gland.
The team conducted initial study on mice wherein they divided mouse prostate tissue into its element cell types and cultured the cells in the lab--providing nutrients to the cells from outer environment--and then rearranged them to comprehend their amalgamation.
Then they repeated the procedure with human cells to study the mechanism in the human body.
Eventually, the scientists were able to productively engineer particular genetic alterations into human prostate stem cells to convert them into cancer cells.
“Cells can be grown directly from a prostate tumour for use in experiments, but without knowing the precise genetics of those cells, scientists may never know why they became cancerous,” said Witte.
Witte added, “Here you can preprogram the genetic buffet, and then evaluate a compound in the face of those specific changes.”
Affirmative results
This endeavor to generate prostate cancer ‘from scratch’ will possibly aid in the detection of ways to combat the disease.
“The news is important and innovative,” the Prostate Cancer Charity stated.
Dr. Helen Rippon, head of research management, said, “This is an important finding because much basic scientific research into the underlying causes of prostate cancer and potential new drug targets relies entirely on having good models of the disease that can be used in the lab.”
England accounts for 35,000 cases of prostate cancer each year which accounts for nearly 10,000 deaths.
The research was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, San Diego.
