Optimistic scientists hope cure for breast cancer not far off

SCIENTISTS in China have cured mice of breast cancer within two weeks, giving hope that a cure for humans will soon follow.

Researchers implanted a minute battery into mice and astonishingly within just two weeks, 80 per cent of them were cancer free, writes The Sun, Saturday, April 8.

The tiny battery works to soak up oxygen by creating a current in salt water which is injected into the infected tumour tissue.

The device induces a condition called hypoxia, which drastically reduces the level of oxygen in cancerous cells. The self-charging battery can last up to 500 hours, claim scientists.

The new technique can also be used in conjunction with specialist medicines which are injected to target infected cells.

The expert who is leading the research, Professor Fan Zhang, of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, said: ‘After 14 days, the tumours in the five mice that received both the working battery and drug treatment had decreased by an average of 90 per cent, with four of these mice experiencing tumour disappearance.

‘Tumours in the other test mice which did not have the combination of battery implant and drugs either remained the same size or increased.’

The hypoxia-activated prodrugs (HAPs) are currently being subject to further research before approval for clinical use.

The professor added, ‘Tumours typically deplete the oxygen in the surrounding non-cancerous tissues as they grow, resulting in the cells becoming oxygen-free, or hypoxic.

‘Hypoxia-activated prodrugs aim to take advantage of this feature by only targeting hypoxic cells, minimising damage to healthy cells and reducing side effects. The battery can cover the tumour and persistently consume the oxygen within it for more than 14 days.’

However, the findings were treated with caution by Professor Randall Johnson, of Cambridge University, who warned that inducing hypoxia treatment can actually increase the risk of cancer spreading.

He commented: ‘While this didn’t appear to occur in these mice, the costs and benefits of the battery’s use in people needs to be assessed before human treatment.’

On average in the UK, 11,500 people die from breast cancer every year.

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