Fresh hope over halting cancer muscle loss

Published on Thursday 10 September 2009 21:59

A BREAKTHROUGH by British scientists holds out the hope of halting the deadly muscle loss that accompanies cancer.

Researchers have found a molecule that switches off the biological mechanism behind the effect, responsible for a quarter of all cancer deaths. By stopping cancer patients from wasting away, survival times could be greatly extended and in some cases doubled.

Muscle loss from cancer, known as cachexia, is directly to blame for about 25 per cent of all deaths from the disease and affects the quality of life of thousands of patients.

A team of scientists at Aston University, Birmingham,

discovered that a specific tumour protein called PIF destroyed skeletal muscle.

"We've created an antibody which is capable of blocking this receptor so PIF can't attack the skeletal muscle," Professor Michael Tisdale said.

"What we're doing now is developing a humanised antibody for testing in patients.

"If our work is successful, this antibody should first of all improve the quality of life of patients, but, more importantly, increase the lifespan of cancer patients."

The Aston team is collaborating with a US biotech company, Halsa Pharmaceuticals, which has been granted an exclusive licence to market therapeutic products based on the results of the research.