Some of the more interesting discoveries in medicine, including penicillin, Viagra and Propecia, resulted unexpectedly from research focused on other objectives. Now in this week's issue of the journal Nature, researchers at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania report unanticipated findings that a commonly prescribed diabetes treatment, metformin, increased the efficiency of the immune system's T-cells, cells that help make cancer and virus-fighting vaccines more effective. This could be great news for those fighting cancer.
The study's findings suggest a new link between the metabolic pathways deregulated in cancer and diabetes and their role in immune cell function, according to a release from McGill University. The researchers said the results suggest that common diabetic therapies that can alter cellular metabolism may enhance T-cell memory, which in turn would boost the immune system. This could lead to novel strategies for vaccine and anti-cancer therapies. The study is the first to suggest that targeting of the same metabolic pathways that play a role in diabetes can alter how well the human immune system functions.
Check out other accidental discoveries at Listverse and at PBS-TV's Nova Online
No comments:
Post a Comment