Publication date: 28.01.2024 20:51
Photo: Profimedia Images
Researchers in Australia have identified a protein of the immune system that can be manipulated to help defeat intestinal cancer, informs Xinhua, taken over by Agerpres.
In a study published on Saturday, researchers from a team at the Australian National University (ANU) described how the Ku70 protein, which plays a role in DNA repair, can be activated with drugs to fight bowel cancer in early stages.
Abhimanu Pandey, a researcher at the College of Health and Medicine at ANU and the lead author of the study, said that once activated, the Ku70 protein detects signs of damaged DNA in cells.
“Damaged DNA is a danger sign that can turn healthy cells into cancer cells,” he was quoted as saying in a press release.
“Our study shows that the Ku70 protein can “calm down” cancer cells and clean up damaged DNA. The protein prevents cancer cells from becoming more aggressive and spreading in the body, essentially deactivating them and keeping them in a dormant state,” added the research coordinator.
Also known as colorectal cancer, bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Australia, with an estimated 15,300 people diagnosed in 2023, according to the Cancer Council.
Data from government agency Cancer Australia shows 5,350 deaths were caused by bowel cancer in Australia in 2021, but the authors of the study published on Saturday say 90% of cases can be successfully treated if caught early.
Australians aged 50 to 74 receive a free home screening test every two years as part of the National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme.
Si Ming Man, a researcher at ANU and co-author of the study, said that in the future, screening methods could also check the levels of Ku70 in precancerous polyps to identify people who will do better or worse if they develop bowel cancer .
In a separate study published on Wednesday by the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in detecting bowel cancer without a stool test by genetically manipulating a probiotic bacterium to to detect early tumors.
Editor :
A.C.
Download the Digi24 app and find out the most important news of the day
2024-01-28 18:51:34
#immune #system #protein #fight #earlystage #bowel #cancer
