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Sydney (pte034/12.07.2005/14:37) - Work revolving around two molecules from bromelaine, an extract derived from crushed pineapple stems that are used to tenderise meat, clarify beers and tan hides, may assist the developing of new cancer-fighting drugs, scientists in Australia say.
The researchers at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) http://www.qimr.edu.au/ have found that one of the molecules, CCZ, stimulates the body's immune system to target and kill cancer cells, the other, CCS, blocks a protein called Ras, which is defective in 30 percent of all cancers.
The team, led by Tracey Mynott, has been researching why the enzyme-rich bromelaine crush had such strong effects on biological material.
"In searching for these components, we discovered the CCS and CCZ proteins and found that they could block growth of a broad range of tumour cells, including breast, lung, colon, ovarian and melanoma," Mynott said.
"The way CCS and CCZ work is different to any other drug in clinical use today," she said. "Therefore, CCS and CCZ will represent a totally new way of treating disease and potentially a whole new class of anti-cancer agent." However Mynott notes that detailed research still needed to be done before clinical trials could be started.
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