In the University of Houston, there has been a new discovery of a biomarker regarding the spread and survival of cancer cells. A biomarker is classified as a characteristic that can be measured in an organism which indicates disease, infection, or exposure to the environment. Because these biomarkers can be seen as different types of hormones and enzymes, it is difficult to find a specific drug to attack them. However, a pharmaceutical professor has discovered a new biomarker of cancer stem cells that develops the survival and spread of these cancer cells. As a result, a hope for a new drug to kill off these cancer cells seems promising since they are able to track down the cells directly.Â
To understand how this may all work, you must know how cancer cells function. All cancerous tumors contain tumor initiating cells that are drug resistant, or cancer cells that are responsible for 90% of the cancer deaths in America. The biomarker that was discovered was the protein plectin, which is responsible for shaping cells and helping the spread of cancer throughout the body. For this reason, a new drug is being formulated to wipe out the protein plectin and hopefully diminish the reproduction of cancer stem cells. So what does this say about the future? The discovery will help develop a new drug that will hopefully target the cancer cells since their purpose is to spread throughout the body and target new cells. Once scientists are able to find out how to kill cancer cells and tumor initiating cells, it will become easier to find a solution. This does not prove that a cure for cancer will be around the corner, however, it proves that there is hope in reducing the cancer cells and wiping them out completely. Â