Scientists found Cells that can help prevent Spread of Cancer

Current Affairs Category: 2012 Current Affairs, January 2012 Current Affairs, Science | Technology

Current Affairs Week: 16 Jan 2012 To 22 Jan 2012

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A team of scientists in the second week of January 2012 identified a group of cancer cells that play a main role in preventing the development of the disease. This scientific finding could lead to re-evaluation of common cancer treatment for patients.
    
It pointed out that anti-angiogenic therapies that target those tumour cells- called pericytes- inadvertently make tumours more aggressive. The study was published in the journal Cancer Cell. It underscores the need of more research on tumour-cell composition to bring out more effective therapies.
   
For the study, the team of scientists created genetically modified mice to support drug-induced depletion of pericytes in growing tumours. They then deleted pericytes in their cancer tumours, decreasing pericyte numbers by 60 percent.