Fratricidins—Cancer That Kills Cancer
This October, a team of researchers made an astonishing discovery: by applying antibodies to acute myeloid leukemia cells, they managed to turn malignant cells into something far more desirable. Not only did the cells become helpful dendritic cells, key supporters in the body’s immune system, but when pushed even further they developed into cells that closely resembled the body’s natural killer cells.
Scientists watched in surprise as the newly formed cells began to attack their former brethren, a modest number of them taking out approximately 15 percent of the surrounding leukemia cells. The cells were purely fratricidal, only attacking the leukemia cells they had been derived from. This quirk was incredibly useful, since the main drawback of many cancer treatment is the potential damage to surrounding healthy cells.
The research team is currently in talks with pharmaceutical companies, aiming to bring the treatment to humans after the appropriate preclinical toxicity studies.
Adapted from medicaldaily.com
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