Photo courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
Israeli researchers have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the fight against myeloma blood cancer, using a revolutionary RNA-based drug delivered via targeted lipid nanoparticles.
The process successfully eradicated cancer cells in the bone marrow.
This groundbreaking approach led to the destruction of 90 percent of multiple myeloma blood cancer cells under laboratory conditions, with an impressive 60 percent reduction observed in human tissues from patients at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel.
Published in the esteemed journal Advanced Science, the study employed lipid-based nanoparticles, similar to those utilized in COVID-19 vaccines.
These nanoparticles contained RNA molecules that effectively silenced the CKAP5 gene, responsible for encoding the cytoskeleton-associated protein 5. By inhibiting this protein, the cancer cells lost their ability to divide and were consequently eliminated.
To ensure the safety of noncancerous cells, the nanoparticles were carefully coated with antibodies that specifically targeted cancer cells within the bone marrow.
This technique is of utmost significance since multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer predominantly found in older populations.
Unlike most blood cancers that manifest in the bloodstream or lymph nodes before spreading throughout the body, multiple myeloma cells form tumors inside the bone marrow, making them exceptionally challenging to target and treat.
This remarkable achievement offers new hope in the ongoing battle against cancer and showcases the potential of targeted RNA-based therapies in revolutionizing cancer treatment. (With reports from Xinhua News/ai/mnm)
