It could hold the key to new treatments for the deadliest forms including breast, pancreatic, lungs, bowel and prostate cancers. Study senior author P

Cancer treatment breakthrough: Scientists discover disease's 'Achilles' Heel'

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2021-08-29 00:00:05

It could hold the key to new treatments for the deadliest forms including breast, pancreatic, lungs, bowel and prostate cancers.

Study senior author Professor Shoukat Dedhar, of the University of British Columbia in Canada, said: "Cancer cells depend on the CAIX enzyme to survive, which ultimately makes it their 'Achilles' heel.'

The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, will help researchers develop drugs that destroy solid tumours. These are the most common types that arise in the body. They rely on blood supply to deliver oxygen and nutrients to help them grow.

Finding a way to prevent it is the 'Holy Grail' of cancer research - turning it into a chronic, rather than fatal, illness. One of the enzymes is CAIX.

It is currently being tested in clinical trials. Experiments in mice with breast, pancreatic and brain cancers showed its effectiveness.