Drug 'attacks cancer stem cells' “对付癌症干细胞”的药物正
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-08-15 05:42 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

A compound that appears to target the master cells which help breast cancers grow and spread has been discovered by US scientists.

美国科学家发现了以主要细胞为对象帮助癌细胞生长并扩散的混合物。

Some 16,000 chemicals were tested by researchers
Some 16,000 chemicals were tested by researchers

In tests in mice, salinomycin(盐霉素) killed breast cancer stem cells(干细胞) far more effectively than some existing drugs, and slowed tumour1 growth.

The drug, a farm antibiotic2(抗生素), has yet to be tested in humans, the journal Cell reports.

But UK experts warned a human version could be some years away.

The reasons why, even following powerful chemotherapy(化学疗法), some cancers can grow back, are not fully3 understood.

Many scientists believe a key role lies with stem cells, which can be resistant4 to(对……有抵抗力的) conventional(普通的,常见的) chemotherapy, remaining to 'seed' new tumours5 and drive their growth.

The drug's potential was identified by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who tested 16,000 existing chemical compounds against breast cancer stem cells in the laboratory.

Those which performed the best were then tried in mice, and compared to existing drugs such as paclitaxel(紫杉酚).

Salinomycin appeared to be 100 times better at killing6 the cells in a test tube, and treated cells were much less likely to start new tumours when injected into mice.

When given to mice with tumours, the growth of the cancer slowed.

However, the researchers stressed that it was too early to know if similar successes could be achieved in human cancer patients.

"Many therapies kill the bulk of a tumour only to(不料竟会) see it regrow," said Professor Eric Lander, from MIT."This raises the prospect7 of new kinds of anti-cancer therapies."

'Very early research'

Dr John Stingl, group leader in mammary stem cell biology at Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute, said: "This is one of the biggest advances we have seen this year in this area of research. These scientists have demonstrated that it's possible to selectively target the rare cancer stem cells that drive tumour growth.

"This research also introduces a completely new way of identifying cancer drugs. The challenge for the future is to bring this class of drugs to the clinic and to identify the patients that are likely to respond to them."

Dr Alexis Willett, head of policy at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, added: "There is evidence that stem cells may enable breast cancers to form and grow.

"This research provides a clue as how to identify these cells and how they might be targeted and destroyed. "It's important to remember that this is very early research and it will be some time before it is clear whether this leads to an effective breast cancer treatment."



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tumour tumour     
n.(tumor)(肿)瘤,肿块
参考例句:
  • The surgeons operated on her for a tumour.外科医生为她施行了肿瘤切除手术。
  • The tumour constricts the nerves.肿瘤压迫神经。
2 antibiotic KNJzd     
adj.抗菌的;n.抗生素
参考例句:
  • The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
  • Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。
3 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
4 resistant 7Wvxh     
adj.(to)抵抗的,有抵抗力的
参考例句:
  • Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
  • They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。
5 tumours 6654305f758b5b5576a74cb007e8d079     
肿瘤( tumour的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Blood vessels develop abnormally in cancer tumours. 在癌肿瘤中血管出现不正常。
  • This apparatus scans patients' brains for tumours. 这台仪器扫描检查病人的脑瘤。
6 killing kpBziQ     
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财
参考例句:
  • Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
  • Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。
7 prospect P01zn     
n.前景,前途;景色,视野
参考例句:
  • This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
  • The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。
TAG标签: cancer drug stem cell
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片