Posted on 10/15/2015 11:54:02 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Could a malaria protein work as a weapon against cancer?
A group of Danish researchers found the potential cure while looking for a way to protect pregnant women from malaria. Malaria, a bloodborne disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite, is especially dangerous for pregnant women because the parasite may attack the placenta, putting the child's life at risk. Because of similar characteristics between tumors and placentas, they found that malaria proteins can also attack cancer.
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"The placenta is an organ, which within a few months grows from only few cells into an organ weighing approximately 2 pounds, and it provides the embryo with oxygen and nourishment in a relatively foreign environment," study author Ali Salanti said in a statement. "In a manner of speaking, tumors do much the same - they grow aggressively in a relatively foreign environment."
In this recent study, mice used in the research were implanted with three different types of human cancers. Researchers found that when attaching a cancer-killing toxin to the malaria protein, it was 90 percent effective in destroying various cancer samples. In two of six mice, the combination completely eliminated prostate cancer and even kept alive five out of six mice that had metastatic bone cancer when compared to those in the control group that died, according to The Independent.
"We have separated the malaria protein, which attaches itself to the carbohydrate and then added a toxin," said Mads Daugaard, a cancer researcher at Canada's University of British Columbia and one of the scientists that worked on the research. "By conducting tests on mice, we have been able to show that the combination of protein and toxin kill the cancer cells."
The study was published in the journal Cancer Cell.
Maybe, but this is the last we’ll ever hear of it.
I would trade malaria for cancer any day.
Marked
Would not surprise me. Research has found wasp venom aggressively attacks prostate cancer. Why not malaria?
How do they do that with tiny little Velcro™ strips?
Would not surprise me. Research has found wasp venom aggressively attacks prostate cancer. Why not malaria?”
Whoa there friend, let’s not have any talk about prostate cancer this is breast cancer month.
You can bet on it. They must be in more need of research money. That’s the cancer researcher’s MO. They come up with a hopeful finding, then you never hear of it again. Surprised they didn’t say this is just the beginning, and maybe ten or twenty years something might come of this.
Delivery method???
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!
Even if it didn't work, at least we'd give cancer malaria, the SOB.
At least this explains why people in malaria areas don’t get cancer. /s
There should be an international standard disclaimer that about 75% of scientific (cancer and psychology) studies cannot be replicated.
RE: I would trade malaria for cancer any day.
I wouldn’t want to get either :)
bump to the top
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