Jerusalem /
Israeli scientists have found a method to stop the spread of deadly brain cancer cells, said the Tel Aviv University. The method, discovered in a study published in the journal Communications from nature, is based on activating the brain’s immune system.
First, the team identified a flaw in the brain’s immune system, which led to the amplification of cell division and the spread of glioblastoma cancer cells, a highly invasive and fast-growing type of brain cancer.
The researchers said the failure of the immune system is due in part to the secretion of a protein called P-selectin, which normally helps cells travel within the body.
However, when this protein binds to immune cells in the brain, it alters their function so that instead of inhibiting the spread of cancer cells and allowing them to proliferate and penetrate brain tissues.
The researchers were then able to inhibit the secretion of the protein, thereby neutralizing the faulty immune system, restoring its normal activity and blocking the spread of this aggressive incurable cancer.
dmr