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Australian Researchers Target Deadly Brain Cancer
17 Jan
Summary
- New drug combination shows promise against aggressive childhood brain tumors.
- Lab studies indicate combined treatments may be more effective than single drugs.
- The research offers hope for difficult-to-treat diffuse midline gliomas.
A team of Australian scientists has investigated a promising new method for treating aggressive childhood brain cancers. Their research, conducted in laboratory settings, focused on combining two existing medicines to combat diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), a group of particularly challenging brain tumors.
These gliomas include diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and often fatal diagnosis for children. The combined drug therapy targets critical proteins, FACT and BET, which are highly active in cancer cells and drive their uncontrolled growth. By blocking these proteins simultaneously, the researchers observed a significant shutdown of the transcription process, effectively halting tumor cell proliferation in lab experiments.
Furthermore, experiments in mice indicated that this combination slowed tumor growth and extended survival. The treatment also appears to activate immune system signals, suggesting it could make cancer cells more detectable for the body's own defenses. This opens the door for potentially integrating immune-based therapies in the future.
