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Health

‘Starving’ cancer cells key to new tumour treatments

Published

9 years ago

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cancerCanberra:A study believes “starving” cancer cells could be the key to prevent the growth of tumours, paving the way for the development of new cancer-beating drugs.

Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU) on Friday said they found and blocked a vital “supply route” that cancer cells use to obtain nutrients and grow.

Professor Stefan Broer said his team identified the “gateways” through which cancer cells “feed”, blocked them and then found the cells almost completely stopped growing, in a discovery which could revolutionise chemotherapy and save lives.

“This should lead to chemotherapy with much less serious side-effects, as normal cells do not use glutamine as a building material,” Xinhua news agency quoted Broer as saying.

“Crucial white blood cells, which current treatments damage, could be spared, and it could cut out the hair loss that chemotherapy causes.”

He said that most cancer research undertaken currently is focused on one particular strain of cancer cell, whereas his team’s discovery could be used to stop the growth of hundreds of different cancer types.

Broer’s team initially identified one “gateway” which it blocked by disabling the cells’ “glutamine transport mechanism”, but the cancer found another way to feed on nutrients. The team then found and blocked a second gateway and the cancer cells stopped growing.

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Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

Published

3 years ago

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May 4, 2022

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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