Molecule Attacks Cancer Cells in Two Ways

A German-led team of international scientists says it has created a “designer molecule” that can attack cancer cells by two completely different routes.

Researchers said the designer molecule was created and tested at the University of Bonn.

“On the one hand, the substance is similar to components of viruses and in this way alerts the immune system,” the scientists wrote. “The body’s own defenses are also strengthened against cancer cells in this process. At the same time, the novel molecule also puts pressure on the tumor in a different way. It switches off a specific gene in the malignant cells, thus driving them to suicide.”

The research led by the University of Bonn is detailed in the November issue of the journal Nature Medicine and online at the journal’s web site.