Can scorpion venom sting brain cancer?

Scientists have received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use ‘Tumour Paint’, a product derived from scorpion venom for study in human trials in the US, in an effort to treat people suffering from brain cancer. During the phase one trial, ‘Tumour Paint’ will be used on an estimated 21 people with a glioma, or tumour in the brain or spine, ABCNews.com reported.

The product was developed by US-based Blaze Bioscience, a company dedicated to developing products that assist physicians in their quest to improve the lives of cancer patients. ‘Tumour Paint’ is designed to ‘provide real-time, high-resolution intra-operative visualisation of cancer cells, enabling better detection and more complete and precise surgical removal of cancer’.

It is created by utilising a protein derived from the paralysing venom of an Israeli death-stalker scorpion.
The re-engineered protein, which binds to cancer cells, is then joined with a fluorescent molecule ‘flashlight’ that has been used safely in human surgeries for decades. ‘It is really hard to get molecules into the brain due to the blood-brain barrier,’ Jim Olsen, a brain cancer specialist at the Seattle Children’s Hospital who developed the product, was quoted as saying. ‘Most drugs that are made by the drug companies cannot penetrate that barrier. The scorpion has found a way to get these proteins in the brain,’ Olsen concluded.

What is brain cancer?

Brain cancer is relatively a rare type of cancer, but once initiated, can turn out to be fatal. It can arise in any part of the brain or may even spread from other nearby areas to the brain (metastasis). The exact cause for brain cancer is still not identified but some genetic and environmental factors supposedly initiate the disease. Experts have identified that presence of certain impaired genes of diseases like Li-Fraumeni syndrome, neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis and Turcot’s syndrome, may also be a contributing risk factor for the onset of brain cancer. A few general symptoms of brain cancer include headache, walking disability, seizures, hazy vision, memory loss and speech problems. CT scan and MRI help to diagnose the existence of brain tumor. Treatment often depends on the patients’ condition. However chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy or even radiation therapy are usually the line of choice for the physicians.

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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Latest Cancer Research: New test for early cancer detection

Early detection of cancer could now be as easy as a simple blood test. Researchers have found that this test may also eliminate the need for some types of biopsies and identify those more likely to develop cancer in the future. The test, called the ‘lymphocyte genome sensitivity’ (LGS) test, could detect some cancers earlier than ever before, the study noted.

‘The test could allow earlier cancer detection, helping to save people’s lives,’ said co-researcher Diana Anderson from University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, UK. To develop this test, the researchers took blood samples from a group of people that included healthy individuals, cancer patients and people believed to be at a higher risk than normal to develop cancer. 

White blood cells (lymphocytes) in these samples were examined in a ‘comet test,’ by embedding the cells in a jelly-like substance, called agar, on a microscope slide.  In this test, damage to the genetic material (DNA) of the cells was caused by treatment with ultraviolet (UVA) light.  This damage was observed in the form of DNA pieces being pulled within the agar in an electric field toward the positive end of the field.

This caused a comet-like tail, and the longer the tail the more DNA damage.  In cancer patients, DNA-damaged tail responses remained high and in those people who might develop pre-cancerous diseases, tail responses were in between.  This means that people with cancer have DNA which is more easily damaged by UVA than other people, so the test shows the sensitivity to damage of all the genome in a cell. 

The study appeared in The FASEB Journal.

Source: IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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‘Virtual breast’ to make cancer detection easier

With an attempt to make breast cancer diagnosis easier, researchers at Michigan Technological University, US have developed a new technique for better interpretation of cancer detection test. Called the ‘virtual breast’, the test is actually a 3D, computer generated phantom that allows clinicians to use ultrasound elastogrpahy in a safety laboratory to identify and detect presence tumours.

Mammograms that are currently used for cancer detection can help only in a few suspicious cases but with this new technique, detection of all tumours throughout the body, including the breast, would be possible. ‘Ultrasound elastography could be an excellent screening tool for women who have suspicious mammograms, but only if the results are properly interpreted,’ the study said.

According to Jingfeng Jiang, a biomedical engineer at the Michigan Technological University, US the technique uses imaging to measure the stiffness of tissue. Some of those images can clearly indicate cancer but others may not be that precise. ‘Depending on who does the reading, the accuracy can vary from 95 percent to 40 percent,’ Jiang added.

‘Virtual breast’ was developed using data from the Visible Human Project, which is a collection of thousands of cross-sectional photos from a female cadaver. It mimics the intricacy of the real thing, incorporating a variety of tissue types and anatomical structures, such as ligaments and milk ducts. Combining the photos could improve better interpretation the results. Clinicians can practice looking for cancer by applying virtual ultrasound elastography to the virtual breast and then evaluating the resulting images, the researchers stressed.

Here are key symptoms of breast cancer

Symptom #1: Lumps

If you notice a hard lump or knot, that is usually painless in your breast (either one or both), then it’s time to get a mammography done. Finding a lump does take a little bit of effort, and doing regular breast self exams are imperative to catch this symptom early.

Symptom #2: Slight hardening

Occasionally, you might not be able to discern a clear cut lump cannot, but a ‘lumpish’ feel is there. And this feel is different as compared to the same area of the opposite breast. You will feel a sort of hardening in one area of your breast(s) which must be investigated early. Usually this symptom is ignored as a minor change in the composition of your breast but, considering it could be an early indicator of breast cancer, get yourself tested as soon as you can.

Symptom #3: Nipple discharge

Under normal circumstances there should be no discharge from your nipples ‘(unless you are pregnant or have just had a baby), but if you see bloody or blood stained fluid being discharged from your nipples, it a sign that you need to visit your doctor immediately.

With inputs from IANS

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For more on breast cancer, check out our breast cancer section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And for health-related queries, visit our Questions and Answers section.

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