Cure for cancer has been on the wish-list of many scientists and sufferers the world over. Now, a world of promise awaits the brain–child of an Australian scientist, whose perseverance on the capacity of a drug to thwart the growth of cancer cells, seems to have paid off.
Professor Chris Parish , who has been working on his ‘baby’ for the past 20 years, may just do himself and the Australian National University proud, as the drug is on the final lap of clinical trials. The drug which will be known by the name of Heparanase, is endowed with the power to delay the growth of cancerous cells."The way it works is it interferes with new blood vessels growing into tumors and it also prevents the tumors from spreading by inhibiting an enzyme they need to spread with," Prof Parish said.
The trials that have been undertaken so far have been on liver cancer patients, but this drug could be useful to treat other cancers as well. "It stops the cancers growing any further in about 40 per cent of the patients that have been treated with the drug and we hope that by combining it with other things we can improve on that." Prof Parish said.
The drug is slated to enter the third phase of the clinical trial, which will span a four year timeframe, to be tested on many patients worldwide. The good news is that the drug may also be priced reasonably.
Source-Medindia
SAV
