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Professor Peter Lobie holds the liquid developed that could possibly one day help women fight breast cancer - Source: ONE News -
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New Zealand researchers have made a discovery which could
potentially one day help the majority of breast cancer
sufferers.
They have identified three molecules which are present in up to 90%
of breast cancers, and hope this could lead to a revolutionary
treatment.
It's an international discovery, led by Professor Peter Lobie and a team of researchers at Auckland University's Liggins Institute.
They have discovered three key molecules never before identified and which are pivotal to the spread of the disease.
"We've shown they result in poor patient survival because they're very powerful survival agents for cancer cells. And we've actually worked out mechanisms by which we can inhibit these molecules in breast cancer to reduce the growth of tumours," says Lobie, breast cancer researcher.
The molecules are present 65% to 90% of all breast cancers.
To help stop the molecules in spreading breast cancer, the researchers developed a liquid that could possibly one day help more women than Herceptin, a drug which targets only 20% of breast cancers.
"We have used them in animal trials and we do see tumour regression. Now its a small process step to take that to human," says Lobie.
The Breast Cancer Research Trust is making their research results public on Thursday and they have invested over a million dollars so far.
Tony Moffatt of the Breast Cancer Research Trust says the sense of optimism within Peter's (Lobie) team about the discovery and where they can take it is really exciting.
"We're optimistic, very optimistic and we now have to work through the process as quickly as we can to see what comes out the other end."
Oncologists say they are at the moment cautiously optimistic, but they including the research team point out that there is a long way to go yet before it's translated into a possible treatment.
The next step is more animal trials to test the response further.
Then if all things go well, human clinical trials will begin, possibly within two to three years, potentially involving New Zealand women.
