Ultimate Antibody Found to be Effective Against Every Type Of Cancer
First Posted: Mar 31, 2013 12:15 PM EDT
Over ten years of cancer research paid off with the truly
groundbreaking discovery of an "ultimate antibody" against cancer --
since it kills not just one or two, but all types of human cancer that it was
tested on until now, it could result in a single treatment that would go a long
way against the disease.
Scientists at the Stanford School of Medicine discovered a
suspicous link between cancer cells and high levels of a protein called CD47
while studying leukemia a decade ago. Irving Weissman, the biologist behind the
breakthrough, continued to study CD47 and found a CD47-blocking antibody that
could cure some cases of leukemia by helping the immune system to recognize
cancer cells as foreign and hostile cells that have to be destroyed.
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The trick of the cancer cells is that the elevated amounts
of CD47 produced by them function as a stealth cloak, effectively tricking the
immune system into not destroying the cancer cells. Weissman discovered this by
establishing a link between CD47 and most of the primary cancer types that
affect humans, finding that cancer cells always had higher levels of CD47 than
healthy cells.
"What we've shown is that CD47 isn't just important on
leukemias and lymphomas," says Weissman, according to Science magazine.
"It's on every single human primary tumor that we tested."
Weissman and his team used that observation to develop an
antibody that blocks cancer cells' CD47, causing the body's immune system to
attack the cancerous cells.
In tests on laboratory mice infected with a litany human
cancers -- breast, ovarian, colon, bladder, brain, liver prostate -- the
antibody was demonstrated to trigger the mice's immune systems to kill the
tumorous cells.
"We showed that even after the tumor has taken hold,
the antibody can either cure the tumor or slow its growth and prevent
metastasis," said Weissman.
The next step is a period of clinical tests in humans, which
can be initiated now thanks to a $20 million grant by the California Institute
for Regenerative Medicine to move the findings to human safety tests.
"We have enough data already that I can say I'm
confident that this will move to phase I human trials," said Weissman.
(Photo : Reuters)
It is estimated that more than 12,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. this year and about 4,000 women will die of the
It is estimated that more than 12,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the U.S. this year and about 4,000 women will die of the
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