The researchers from the University of Kansas developed a chemical cocktail to block a protein called HuR that is needed for the replication of the cancerous cells. The researchers suggest that blocking the protein that promotes cancer growth in the body would be of good help in defeating the disease.
About six chemical compounds were developed by Dr. Liang Xu and team after about three and half years of rigorous effort to inhibit the protein HuR which is used by the cancerous cells to multiply uncontrollably, according to Kshb Kansas City.
In the study, published by Xu and team in ACS Chemical Biology, a journal published by the American Chemical Society, it is reported that the chemical inhibitors were observed to be effective against cancerous tissues in the breast, brain, ovaries, colon, lungs, prostate and pancreas when tested in mice as well as lab cultures, RT reported.
Xu told that an inhibitor is a "very promising" treatment "that could potentially lead to a new therapy for cancer." He also added that the aim of the research is to "make sure the tumor will never come back again." The research team aims at terminating the cancer stem cells that has become dormant due to chemotherapy and radiation from replicating after months or years of treatment.
The researcher noted that their dream is to develop a pill that could be taken orally for cancer treatment that he has estimated would be possible by 2025. It is reported that the research team would likely spend next five years in testing the inhibitor by running hundreds of different tests and trials.