Cellular protein can fight cancer when it is located in the nucleus
Although research into new treatments is consistently ongoing, cancer remains a prevalent and major concern worldwide.
Although research into new treatments is consistently ongoing, cancer remains a prevalent and major concern worldwide. Over the years, drugs have been developed to help prevent and reduce the progression of the disease, as women who have breast cancer are often advised to buy Tamoxifen to slow tumor proliferation.
However, scientists from the Lawson Health Research Institute believe that there may be new hope for survival in the form of a cellular protein called maspin. This molecule appears to reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells, but only when it is located in the nucleus.
Lead authors John Lewis and Ann Chambers believe that maspin can inhibit the development of several aggressive types of cancer. However, they found that the protein is more effective when it is located in the nucleus, as opposed to the cytoplasm.
"The difference is night and day. Metastasis is the cause of 90 percent of cancer deaths," Lewis explained. "We can now clearly see that maspin is working in the nucleus to dramatically reduce both the extent and the size of distant metastases."
Chambers added that the findings may help doctors understand the degree of aggression a type of cancer will pose in a patient, which could also lead to new targets for drug treatments.
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