- Australia could soon become the first country to eliminate cervical cancer
- Scientists used ‘stealth’ nonoparticles to target and repair cancerous cells
- The treatment was trialled on mice and resulted in a 100 per cent survival rate
Australia could become the first country in the world to eliminate cervical cancer.
Researchers from Griffith University in Queensland have used gene-editing technology to target cervical cancer tumours in mice using ‘stealth’ nanoparticles.
Lead researcher Professor Nigel McMillan said it’s the first cancer cure using this technology.
The mice treated had a 100 per cent survival rate, ABC reported, raising hopes for women with cervical cancer.
The gene-editing tool, known as CRISPR-Cas9, is injected by nanoparticles in to the patient’s bloodsteam.
The nanoparticles then search for the cancer-causing gene E7 and cut the gene in half.
When the cell repairs the gene with extra DNA, the cell doesn’t recognise the cancerous cells and generates a healthy cell.
Professor Nigel McMillan described the nanoparticles as being like a spell-checker.
‘This is like adding a few extra letters into a word so the spell checker doesn’t recognise it anymore. The cancer must have this gene to produce, once edited, the cancer dies.