(c) PCFA
Centenary InstituteのJeff Holst医師
前立腺癌の進行は食事と密接にかかわるとされているが，癌細胞の増殖に必要な栄養を絶つ新たな治療法が可能となるかもしれない。細胞の増殖に必要なロイシンというアミノ酸は，ポンプの役割を持つタンパク質により細胞の中に取り込まれる。ある研究班は，前立腺癌には正常な細胞と比べてこのポンプが多いことを発見し，ポンプの量を減らすかロイシンと競合する薬剤を投与する方法で，初期と末期，両方の前立腺癌の増殖が抑えられることをヒトの細胞を用いた実験で示した。同研究班は，治療法の開発はもとより，メカニズムがいまだ不明な食事との関連性の解明を目指している。（吉田素子）
Starving Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancers are hungry, growing cells. Now we’ve discovered how to cut off their food supply thanks to research published in Cancer Research and supported by Movember.
Researchers at the Centenary Institute in Sydney have discovered a potential future treatment for prostate cancer -- through starving the tumour cells of an essential nutrient they need to grow rapidly.
Their work, with human cells grown in the lab, reveals targets for drugs that could slow the progress of early and late stage prostate cancer. The research has been funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and Movember.
Each year about 3,300 Australian men die of prostate cancer. It’s Australia’s second worst cancer killer for men, matching the impact of breast cancer on women.
Current therapies for prostate cancer include surgical removal of the prostate, radiation, freezing the tumour or cutting off the supply of the hormone testosterone -- but there are often side-effects including incontinence and impotence.
Growing cells need an essential nutrient, the amino acid called leucine, which is pumped into the cell by specialised proteins. And this could be prostate cancer’s weak link.
Dr Jeff Holst and his team at the Centenary Institute found, in a study to be published this month in Cancer Research, that prostate cancer cells have more pumps than normal. This allows the cancer cells to take in more leucine and outgrow normal cells.
“This information allows us to target the pumps -- and we’ve tried two routes.
［単語和訳］
Starving：飢えさせる，兵量攻めにする Prostate Cancer：前立腺癌
cells：細胞 cut off：～を断ち切る Movember：毎年11月に行われている，男性特有の癌の啓蒙イベント
Researchers：研究者 tumour：腫瘍 essential nutrient：必須栄養素
lab：研究室 progress：進行 early and late stage：初期および末期の
breast cancer：乳癌
therapies：治療 surgical：外科的 removal：除去 radiation：放射線照射 hormone：ホルモン testosterone：テストステロン side-effects：副作用 incontinence：失禁 impotence：インポテンス
amino acid：アミノ酸 leucine：ロイシン is pumped into：～に注ぎ込まれる specialised：特殊化した proteins：タンパク質 weak link：弱点
allows～to---：～が---することを可能にする take in：～を取り込む outgrow：～より増殖する
