Danish scientists make cancer breakthrough

Danish scientists from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) are on the verge of a possible breakthrough in the fight against cancer. It may result in a genuine medical treatment for the dreaded disease. This is according to seven59.dk and other media.

The hunt for a weapon to fight malaria in pregnant women has revealed that, expressed in popular terms, armed malaria proteins can kill cancer. The researchers behind the discovery hope to be able to conduct tests on humans within four years.

Good results in mice

In collaboration, the two university research groups have tested thousands of samples from brain tumors to leukemias and a general picture emerges to indicate that the malaria protein is able attack more than 90% of all types of tumors. The drug has been tested on mice that were implanted with three types of human tumours.

With non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the treated mice’s tumours were about a quarter the size of the tumours in the control group. With prostate cancer, the tumours disappeared in two of the six treated mice a month after receiving the first dose. With metastatic bone cancer, five out of six of the treated mice were alive after almost eight weeks, compared to none of the mice in a control group.

Perfect timing

In collaboration with the scientists behind the discovery, the University of Copenhagen has created the biotech company, VAR2pharmaceuticals, which will drive the clinical development forward.

The potential breakthrough came on the same day as news figures showing cancer is on the rise. 17,770 men and 17,248 women were diagnosed with cancer in 2013, compared to 12,674 and 13,681 respectively in 2000. However, the number of cancer-related deaths has remained stable. Read more about it here (in Danish).

Read the release from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences here.

universitypost@adm.ku.dk

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