We all know that cancer is a very serious disease which is unforgiving. There are different types of cancer, some are curable and some are worse than others. Colon cancer is one of the worst kind possible because it evolves quickly.

So far medicine could offer almost no solutions to this form of cancer but recent studies have proven there is still hope. Researchers from the Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a potential answer to this problem. A team of scientists led by Ramanuj DasGupta, PhD, (assistant professor of Pharmacology at NYU School of Medicine and the NYU Cancer Institute), have uncovered three novel small molecules that could potentially one day help cancer patients recover completely. The three small molecules work by inhibiting the communication between cancer cells and thus stopping it from growing. They were discovered with the help of an innovative combination of RNA interference and high-throughput chemical genetic screening. Almost 15000 compounds were tested before these three showed any results.
This is a potential weapon in the battle against cancer.

Studies have shown the three new compounds can block cell proliferation in cancerous cells. This was supported by countless experiments on mice and laboratory dishes which all concluded with positive results. The three new compounds work by inhibiting the Wnt signaling pathway which controls many biological processes through communication among cells. Scientists know very little of WNT pathways because not many research has been done but the results look very promising and pretty soon we might see experimental treatments with the three compounds in our hospitals. The research is in its early stages and much is yet to be done but in a world where cancer is the number 2 cause of death, every research with presents results is very important and must be continued until is works.

The research program was sustained with capital donated by Department of Defense, The Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Stem Cell Biology at NYU School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. We can only hope that now that the program has promising results more institutes and people will be inclined to sustain the researchers effort to finding a cure for cancer.... More.