MELBOURNE researchers may have found a way to block a gene that
fuels the growth of tumours in about a quarter of stomach cancer
cases, paving the way for a new treatment for one of the world's
deadliest cancers. Researchers from the Monash Institute of
Medical Research found a gene that produces a protein called
toll-like receptor 2 was overactivated in about 25 per cent of
cancer patients, after noticing a similar trend in animals. In
the study published today in the journal Cancer Cell, they found
the protein was causing tumour cells to grow, and that
antibodies could counteract it in mice. Senior researcher
Brendan Jenkins said: "It was quite remarkable, over a 10-week
period the antibodies actually stopped these tumours from
growing." The antibody treatment is expected to move into human
trials within the next couple of years, and would be offered in
addition to existing treatments such as chemotherapy before and
after surgery. "We will identify patients who have increasing
amounts of this protein, and t