Researchers say they’re making headway towards a drug that weakens cancer cells without exposing the body to the destructive effects of chemotherapy and radiation.Tumors in cancer-ridden mice shrank by 90 percent after treatment with the drug, researchers report in a study to be released Tuesday. The compound, called OGT2378, appears to block the ability of cancer cells to grow by manipulating the host’s immune system.However, the research is still in the preliminary stages and the treatment is certainly not a cure, cautioned study co-author Dr. Stephan Ladisch, director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at the Children’s Research Institute in Washington, D.C. The goal of the researchers is to dampen the production of gangliosides, molecules found on the edges of cells. In tumors, these molecules create a kind of “cloud” around cancerous cells that hijacks healthy cells, Ladisch explained.
