Researcher Says Natural Protein May Stop Spread of Gastrointestinal Cancer

A researcher at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute reports discovering of a natural protein that may stop the spread of gastrointestinal cancer.

Adhip Majumdar, Ph.D. said he isolated a protein within the gene, ERRP (epidermal growth factor receptor related protein), that appears to act as the body's own defense against malignancy.

"We put the gene in prostate and colon cancer cells and both (cancers) were inhibited," Majumdar reported in the American Journal of Physiology and the Journal of Anticancer Research.

By targeting epithelial cancer cells, ERRP regulates and stops cancer cell proliferation in the breast, colon and pancreas, reports Majumdar.

"If the protein could be purified in large quantities, it could be used to prevent and treat cancer," said Dr. Omer Kucuk, professor of hematology and oncology at Wayne State. "Since it is our natural defense against cancer, the use of this protein in humans may be less toxic and more effective than the commercially available products attempting to do the same."

Other Sources: karmanos Cancer Institute