One Spanish scientist has done something quite amazing. Thanks to this study we now better understand what is responsible for initiation metastasis in several types of human tumors.
This study was done in IRB Barcelona and has managed to identify the cells that are actually responsible for initiating and promoting metastasis. For those of you who do not know cancer metastasis is, it the spread of cancer cells to organs and tissues beyond where the tumor originated. It is also what causes the formation of new tumors, and generally results in the death of most cancer patients. Watch the video below for a little more information on metastasis.
In this groundbreaking, study mice were given a diet overly high in fats. These mice were the ones who developed the most aggressive metastases. Because of this, the researchers were able to come to the conclusion that the fat intake itself was enhancing the metastasis process. When the protein CD36 was absent human tumors that were analyzed did not develop any form of metastasis. Inhibition of the CD36 protein was able to actually dramatically reduce the size of existing metastases in the cases involved.
Few of the tumors analyzed were actually capable of metastasis until CD36 was introduced. Tests have not yet been done on all forms of cancer it is definitely a set general marker for metastasis of cells. Thanks to this finding more research can be done on the CD36 protein and we can determine just how intense its part is when played.
Finding a treatment through this will likely be able to dramatically decrease the chances of metastasis in cancer patients. The possibilities with this small amount of research are endless. We may soon be able to save lives in a new way.