Breakthrough offers hope in breast cancer fight

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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/breakthrough-offers-hope-in-breast-cancer-fight-2341649.html

A naturally occurring molecule in bacteria can block the development of breast cancer, scientists have discovered, paving the way for the design of more potent and selective drugs.

The molecule, thiostrepton, clamps FOXM1, a cancer-causing protein present in greater amounts in breast cancer cells. It switches on genes regulating the growth and division of cells, causes tumours to spread and triggers the growth of blood vessels.

Blocking this protein may prevent the development of cancer at an early stage as well as blocking its growth and spread according to the study published in Nature Chemistry.

Its lead author, Professor Shankar Balasubramanian, based at Cancer Research UK in Cambridge, said: "Before this research we weren't aware of any natural product which could directly target a protein that controls gene activity. Yet intriguingly a molecule in bacteria – which also has strong antibiotic effects – does this very well, switching off cancer-causing genes in breast cancer cells."

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