A new anti-cancer treatment exploits the body's own waste disposal system. The number of new medicines is expected to rise with the opening of a British centre dedicated to using the technique.
David and Ruth Hill donated $9 million to the Institute of Cancer Research to set up the Centre for Protein Degradation.
The head of the new centre, Professor Ian Collins, said that many modern cancer drugs work by blocking the function of harmful proteins. He said that this technique is different. It wipes them out completely.
Our cells have developed a method for removing harmful proteins. It is part of the daily business of life. Our cells only recognise a specific number of the same genes.
Science has found a way to add to that number by putting flags on new proteins that the cell wouldn't otherwise touch, but which are harmful and involved in tumour development.
The drug lenalidomide is an example of how this approach can be used.
Cecelia Brunott was diagnosed in 2020 and said that it is working to keep her condition stable.
It makes it visible to the cell's waste disposal machinery. It makes sure it is shredded and destroyed.
A drug has been found to target breast cancer. It is a degrader of oestrogen and is an important driver of breast cancer.
At the moment, a lot of effort is being made to develop new cancer drugs.
We hope that in the future this technique will be used to develop medicines for other types of disease. It has a lot of potential and promise.
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