The majority of cancer treatments are designed to kill cancer cells, but controlling the spread of the disease is just as important to saving lives. A recent MSN article noted the work of Raymond Bergan, a professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, who is trying to address the lack of therapies that halt cancer’s movement through the body, known as metastasis.
Movement seems to be the key to fighting cancer; if a lump is detected, the patient’s life can be saved, but if the cancer spreads before detection it can be treated, but will eventually take the patient’s life. In 2011, researchers began experiments to develop a drug that controls the spread of cancer. They found a compound, KBU2046, which inhibits cell mobility in breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer. It works by engaging specific proteins that clean cells, which inhibits mobility without any side effects. Bergan and his team are raising money to fund further studies with their new company, Third Coast Therapeutics.
