Improve Effectiveness of Chemo

About

Deakin University medical scientists have made a breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment that is likely to save lives and improve the quality of life of people undergoing prostate cancer treatment within a decade. The researchers have discovered that by piggy backing a chemotherapy drug onto a well-known milk protein they can create a combination that is lethal for cancer cells without the toxic side-effects. In a study published in the prestigious international journal “Scientific Reports,” the scientists with Deakin’s School of Medicine have found that, when coupled with the milk protein lactoferrin, the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin (Dox) can be delivered directly into the nucleus of prostate cancer cells and will kill the cells, as well as drug-resistant cancer stem cells, without any side-effects. This is a very exciting result that offers strong hope for future survival rates of people with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed in Australia and the third most common cause of cancer death. This breakthrough is the result of many years of research effort and exemplifies our research mission at Deakin – to make a difference to the communities we serve.