Mélanie Gomez / Credits: LILIAN CAZABET / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
This is a discovery that could revolutionize the fight against breast cancer. CNRS researchers indicated that a study had revealed the essential role played by a protein in the development of metastases in sick women.
This is very good news for women’s health. A CNRS team has just made a discovery that could revolutionize the fight against breast cancer. In fact, they discovered that it is a protein that plays a key role in the development of metastases. Its identification could save the lives of women with breast cancer, aggressive or refractory to treatment.
“Up to ten times fewer metastases”
The culprit is the SMYD2 protein, a protein found in all cells in our body, but which is present in much greater quantities in aggressive breast cancers. What CNRS researchers have just demonstrated is that SMYD2 strongly participates in the development of metastases, but above all that it is possible to block its action, specifies Nicolas Reynoird, CNRS researcher at the University of Grenoble.
“Our study was able to show that, inhibited chemically, therefore with a few inhibitors, a few drugs, the activity of this protein would completely block the appearance of metastases,” he explains at the microphone of Europe 1. We saw up to ten times fewer metastases developing in the organs around breast cancer in these mice. The hope for patients would be to prevent the appearance of metastases, to have preventive treatment. This would have a huge impact on patient survival.”
Finally, more good news: the drug that blocks the action of the SMYD2 protein already exists and it had no side effects in mice. We will now have to demonstrate that it works just as well in humans.