Source: University of Manchester
Date: 22 May 2007
Summary:
Scientists at the University of Manchester have made an important discovery in understanding how cancers spread in what could lead to new ways of beating the disease. The study used embryonic stem (ES) cells to investigate how some tumours are able to migrate to other parts of the body, which makes the treatment of cancer much more difficult. The scientists discovered that ES cells lose the proteins that cells use to bind to each other and have other protein alterations that are characteristic of spreading cancer cells. The scientists believe the finding could provide new insights into how cancer spreads, and lead to new strategies to stop it from spreading.
