Single antibody found to shrink tumors

A new study by the Stanford University School of Medicine has found that a single antibody could shrink a variety of human tumors.

The researchers have successfully managed to reduce human tumors that were transplanted into laboratory mice, with some tumors disappearing all together. The antibody works by masking a protein flag on cancer cells that that protects them from macrophages and other cells in the immune system, a development which scientists achieved with human breast, ovarian, colon, bladder, brain, liver and prostate cancer samples.

This is the first time an antibody treatment has found to be effective against several human solid tumors, and the positive results mean that phase-1 and –2 of human clinical trials will be getting underway within the next couple of years.

Professor of pathology Irving Weissman, MD, from Stanford University said: "Blocking this 'don't-eat-me' signal inhibits the growth in mice of nearly every human cancer we tested, with minimal toxicity.

"This shows conclusively that this protein, CD47, is a legitimate and promising target for human cancer therapy."

Posted by Ben Evans