Hebrew Fruit Experiment Led to New Approach for Halting Spread of Cancer Cells
An experimental work at Hebrew University of Jerusalem aimed at improving the quality of fruit led to the discovery of a promising new avenue of drug treatment for stopping the growth and spread of cancer cells in animals as well as humans.
The strategy involves isolating the malignant tumor from its nutritional and oxygen supplies (thereby halting its growth and stopping metastases or spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body) without affecting normal cells and without the severe side effects of traditional treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.
The approach of the Hebrew University researchers is based on the actions of actibind, a protein that is produced by the black mold Aspergillus niger and that is a well-known microorganism used in bio and food technology. In plants, actibind binds actin, a major component of the intracellular structure in plants, interfering with the plants’ pollen tubes and halting cell growth.
By blocking the blood supply to the tumors, actibind halted the ability of malignant cells to move through the blood stream to form new metastases. A further plus is that actibind is not toxic to normal cells, thereby significantly minimizing the risk of side effects.
The study conducted by Prof. Oded Shoseyov, Dr. Levava Roiz, Dr. Patricia Smirnoff and Dr. Betty Schwartz at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, is published recently in the journal Cancer of the American Cancer Society.
Read more at EurekAlert or the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Press Release.
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