New treatment method to prevent breast cancer: How it helps

Breast cancer is the type of cancer that kills the most women in Kerala and India. What makes it dangerous is that the cancer can spread and metastasise to other vital organs, too, and be fatal. Over time, we have heard the news of many high-risk, celebrity individuals going the extra mile to reduce the chance of developing cancer. Now, a new treatment method has won a patent to prevent the spread of the disease. 

The discovery was made in a study led by a Malayali researcher at Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Dr Liju Vijaya Stelter, a member of the Bathal family from Puliyarakonam, Thiruvananthapuram, led the research that helps prevent the spread of rapidly spreading breast cancer. The research findings were published in the journal Nature – Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.

A method has been developed to identify and deactivate the key protein that helps breast cancer cells spread to other parts of the body. The research focused on the dangerous breast cancer known as triple-negative breast cancer. The protein PKC eta helps cancer cells detach from the primary tumour and move to new areas. This process, known as metastasis, is the main cause of breast cancer deaths.

The crucial discovery in the research is a small peptide called Upep 2. This protein is formed from UORF, a less-noticed part of the genetic structure. Upep 2 acts as a degrader, breaking down and destroying the pathogenic protein. The treatment method based on this discovery has received a patent. Vijaya, who previously worked as a researcher at Amala Cancer Centre in Thrissur and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram, left for Israel 6 years ago.