After years of research and some significant breakthroughs, scientists from the United States have discovered a new treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. The research team was led by Dr. Shawn Hingtgen, a professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The form of brain cancer being researched is known as glioblastoma. It is one of the most common forms of brain cancer and is very aggressive — sometimes killing patients within a few months. The innovative new treatment uses human stem cells that have been trained to identify and kill the cancer cells.
Glioblastomas are tumours that come from astrocytes in the brain — small cells that form a part of the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumours are often malignant and reproduce quickly because they have easy access to blood vessels. The two-year survival rate for glioblastoma is less than 30%. Only 10% of patients survive for more than five years.
The research team converted skin cells into stem cells that have the ability to find and kill brain tumour cells. They initially tested the technology on mice and achieved fantastic results. This most-recent research project involved the use of human test subjects.
Dr. Hingtgen explains the importance of aggressively tracking down the tumour cells as soon as possible, saying: “speed is essential. It used to take weeks to convert human skin cells to stem cells. But brain cancer patients don’t have weeks and months to wait for us to generate these therapies. The new process we developed to create these stem cells is fast enough and simple enough to be used to treat a patient.”
This form of brain cancer is currently treated with a surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the cancer usually returns after being treated because it is so hard to identify and remove tumour cells. Using specially trained stem cells helps doctors treat the condition without invasive or intensive procedures.
Source: New Revolutionary Technique Allows Reprogrammed Stem Cells To Kill Brain Tumors
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