Israeli scientists find way to treat deadly pancreatic cancer in 14 days
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Israeli scientists find way to treat deadly pancreatic cancer in 14 days
Cancerous cells forming a lump in the pancreatic tissue (photo credit: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/SCIENTIFIC ANIMATIONS INC.)
A new treatment developed by Tel Aviv University could induce the destruction of pancreatic cancer cells, eradicating the number of cancerous cells by up to 90% after two weeks of daily injections of a small molecule known as PJ34.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat. Most people who are diagnosed with the disease do not even live five years after being diagnosed.
The study, led by Prof. Malka Cohen-Armon and her team at TAU’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, in collaboration with Dr. Talia Golan’s team at the Cancer Research Center at Sheba Medical Center, was recently published in the journal Oncotarget .
Specifically, the study found that PJ34, when injected intravenously, causes the self-destruction of human cancer cells during mitosis, the scientific term for cell division.
The research was conducted with xenografts, transplantation of human pancreatic cancer into immunocompromised mice. A month after being injected with the molecule daily for 14 days, “there was a reduction of 90% of pancreatic cells in the tumor,” Cohen-Armon told The Jerusalem Post. “In one mouse, the tumor completely disappeared.”
“This molecule causes an anomaly during mitosis of human cancer cells, provoking rapid cell death,” she said. “Thus, cell multiplication itself resulted in cell death in the treated cancer cells.”
Moreover, she said, PJ34 appears to have no impact on healthy cells, thus “no adverse effects were observed.” The mice, she said, continued to grow and gain weight as usual.
She added that she first published about the mechanism in 2017 when it was used to effectively treat triple-negative breast cancer implanted in xenografts. This type of breast cancer – which tests negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and excess HER2 protein – like pancreatic cancer, is very hard to treat and many women don’t live more than five years after being diagnosed.
Though Cohen-Armon said the team did not specifically study whether or not the treatment could prolong the lifespan of a patient, one can assume such an effect could result if the cancerous cells are eliminated.
How long will it take to move from mice trials to human trials?
She estimates that would take “at least two years on the condition that we get enough funding.”
First, she said, the group will test the treatment on pigs and then apply for permission from the FDA to administer humans with this molecule.
“I am optimistic,” Cohen-Armon concluded.
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My response to the politicians who suggest that America should limit its military aid to Israel in order to control its domestic affairs should be countered by Israel restricting with sanctions America from obtaining any benefit from Israel's amazing medical breakthroughs and technological advances.
Geez! That’s pretty exciting.
I just told my hubby. My mother in law died 2.5 years ago of pancreatic cancer. I hope this is moves quickly so that it can help all of those who have this terrible disease.
And yes, Israel does add much in the way of medical break throughs.
Awesome. I just cannot wait to see what new advances come from biology especially with the aid of practical AI technology to assist researchers.
Of course this might be all bullshit —a worldwide con game— since some hold evolution to be a worldwide conspiracy by godless scientists and evolution is the foundation for modern biology.
LMAO!
For a good deed no one should ever be criticized or hindered. This will be amazing for us all and it should be helped, lifted, and benefited forward. The prayers of mill—billions are with the scientists.
I hope this works. Pancreatic cancer took my husband 6 years ago.
I've lost two friends from this horrible disease. Hopefully, this new treatment will work on humans.
Mice are often used for medical experiments because with respect to their physiology and reactions they have many attributes that are also common in humans. Pigs are even closer, and according to the article will be the next step. Then finally humans.
I just read an article about the life of the Canadian Doctor Sir Frederick Banting, the discoverer of insulin, and it was interesting to see the steps of his experiments - he and his assistant Best actually used dogs at first. The first human they used to test was a boy who was terminally ill with diabetes, beyond hope, and they injected him with insulin and it cured him.
Dear Brother Buzz: Please keep this information coming.
It is important, and means hope to many afflicted of having those close to them so affected.
Good work by the TAU Medical Center researchers.
Good work indeed.
P&AB.
Enoch.