The mosquito-borne parasite that causes malaria also produces a protein that could help stop cancer, new research has found. Researchers found that the malarial protein binds to a sugar molecule found in many types of cancer.
The sugar molecule could be a target for anti-cancer drugs, and that the malarial protein, called VAR2CSA, could provide the tool for carrying such drugs to tumors, scientists said, reports IANS. In laboratory experiments, researchers found that if they used the malarial protein, VAR2CSA, and attached an anti-cancer drug to it, it would bind with the oncofetal protein in the cancer, delivering the drug to the tumor. The study was published in the journal Cancer Cell.
