By IANS,
Washington : Scientists are all set to embark on human trials to test whether a new cancer treatment found effective in mice will be as good for humans.
The treatment involves transfusing white blood cells (WBCs) from select donors into patients in advanced stages of cancer, Wake Forest University scientists said in a statement.
The basis of the study is the scientists’ discovery, published five years ago, of a cancer-resistant mouse and their subsequent finding that WBCs from that mouse and its offspring cured advanced cancers in 100 percent of ordinary laboratory mice.
The study, okayed by the US Food and Drug Administration, will involve treating human cancer patients with WBCs – – called granulocytes – from healthy young people whose immune systems produce cells with high levels of cancer-fighting activity.
They have since identified similar cancer-killing activity in the WBC of some healthy humans.
“In mice, we’ve been able to eradicate even highly aggressive forms of malignancy with extremely large tumours,” said Zheng Cui, who led the research.
“Hopefully, we will see the same results in humans. Our laboratory studies indicate that this cancer-fighting ability is even stronger in healthy humans.”
The team has tested human cancer-fighting cells from healthy donors against human cervical, prostate and breast cancer cells in the laboratory – with surprisingly good results.
For the upcoming study, the researchers are currently recruiting 500 local potential donors to have their blood tested.
The findings of the study were announced Sunday at the “Understanding Aging” conference in Los Angeles.