New tumor target strategy inhibits human cancer in up to 90% of mice

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Researchers claim they have found something interesting relating to certain metastatic cancers, a fatty acid receptor protein called CD36. In a study published in Nature, researchers claim that interfering with that protein almost completely halt the spread and development of cancer cell in mouse models of human oral cancer. They said it causes zero side effects.

The study, led by researchers at the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, involved cultured cells from human oral carcinomas. These human cancer cells were injected into the mouths of healthy mice. As expected, the mice developed oral cancer.

Although the study was only carried out in mice, researchers are hopeful that the technique would be a new strategy to treat cancer in human patients in the future. The major cancer cell that contributes to tumor in rodents is known as CD44 bright cells, it is also the culprit behind oral cancers in humans, according to Arstechnica.

The researchers stated that the bright cells were producing a lot of CD36, which is commonly seen on the surface of metastatic cancer cells. The CD36 are also present those that migrate to the lymph node metastasis, which is one of the most dangerous phases of cancer metastasis, as the cancerous cells can easily migrate to other parts of the body.

Researchers discovered that CD36 was primarily in charge of triggering cellular signals that aid the production of energy from fats in CD44 bright cells in the mice. The researchers fed the mice a high fat diet in other to check if this related to the growth of the tumor.

The result show that the mice developed more aggressive oral cancers and more aggressive metastasis, suggesting that CD36 is important for the overall process of tumor proliferation.

The researchers compared the result with that of cancer cells that did not have CD36, which did not induce even one lymph node metastasis. They also noticed that cells programmed to over-express the CD36 receptor produced even more metastatic lesions than the normal oral cancer cells, according to Sogotechnews.

They treated mice that had developed cancer with two different known CD36 neutralizing antibodies, to check whether the interference with CD36 could prevent the cancerous cells from making energy and proliferating through metastasis.

The scientist discovered that treatment with the antibodies halted metastasis in mice that had developed oral cancer but had not yet developed metastatic cancer. The treatment also proves effective on mice that had already developed lymph node metastasis with the CD36 antibodies, as the size of tumor is said to decrease by up to 90 percent.

The treatment is reported to have resulted in complete remission in 15 percent of mice who had developed lymph node metastasis the commencement of treatment. Although results are dose dependent, as mice who received a higher dose of the CD36 antibody recorded their cancer remission outcomes.

The findings of the research put together, suggests that the CD36 antibody treatment may also be effective at fighting cancer in humans.