Enzyme may aid cancer fight, study shows

Source: The Argus
Posted: November 22, 2006 02:33:14 AM PST

Summary:

Scientists at Children's Hospital Oakland and Research Institute have identified a human enzyme that could help kill cancer cells by regulating cell growth and death by lowering the levels of a lipid called sphingosine-1-phosphate, or S1P. Studying colon cancer in human tissue and mice models, the researchers found that the presence of the enzyme SPL can make cancer cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy. Without the enzyme, cancer cells were more resistant to treatment. a recent study finds. The study, published in the November issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that boosting the enzymes could help fight cancer.