The Breakthrough ‘Cancer-Cooling’ Protein Freezing Bowel Cancer

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At last, a potential new weapon has been discovered in the fight against bowel cancer. Researchers at The Australian National University have found that a protein in the immune system can be activated to suppress bowel cancer. Their findings have been recently published in Science Advances.

According to the researchers, this discovery is crucial as bowel cancer currently claims over 100 lives each week in Australia. Nevertheless, if detected early, around 90% of cases can be successfully treated.

Dr. Abhimanu Pandey, the lead author of the research, explained that the protein, known as Ku70, can be activated through a combination of new and existing drugs. He likens its role to that of a surveillance system. Its function is to detect signs of damaged DNA in our cells, which could lead to dangerous cancerous cells.

Bowel cancer is a significant issue in Australia, as it is the fourth most diagnosed cancer in the country and estimates state that one in 20 people will be diagnosed with bowel cancer by the age of 85. These findings, therefore, are promising.

One likely future use of this discovery will involve checking the levels of Ku70 in pre-cancerous polyps, abnormal growths of tissue found in the colon, before healthy cells turn cancerous. Furthermore, it appears that Ku70 has the potential to act as a predictor of how bowel cancer patients might fare.

In light of these results, the researchers from The Australian National University are calling on people to be more aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer in anticipation of World Cancer Day on 4 February.

More information:
Abhimanu Pandey et al, Ku70 senses cytosolic DNA and assembles a tumor-suppressive signalosome, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh3409. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh3409

Citation:
‘Cancer-cooling’ protein puts bowel cancer on ice (2024, January 26)
retrieved 26 January 2024
from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-01-cancer-cooling-protein-bowel-ice.html

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