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7mo ago
A waste by-product of the marine industry could help in the fight against lung cancer.
The natural mineral, known as a nano-nutrient matrix (NNM), was created, and developed by environmental company Bare Native, originally to treat anti-inflammatory skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema.
But researchers at Canterbury Christ Church University have discovered that the anti-inflammatory properties of the unique NNM has the potential to be effective in reducing chronic inflammation within the body, which is linked to various stages of cancer including growth of tumours, cell transformation, cell survival and the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Dr Cornelia Wilson, Reader and Academic Laboratory Director at the University, specialises in research into the development and treatment of lung cancer. She said: “I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career.
Targeting the inflammatory pathways has been an area of interest in the treatment of cancer. Many studies have indicated that blocking these pathways reduces tumour growth and development. Initial results are promising as they indicate that the NNM has an anti-inflammatory response in lung cancer cells and when combined with an anti-cancer drug, it significantly improves cancer cell death, especially at lower doses. Our studies show NNM has the capacity to reduce inflammation by 90% specifically targeting the genes associated with it.
Dr Cornelia WilsonReader and Academic Laboratory Director at the University
Founded in 2018 by Abigail Gibson Bare Native is a female-run company that uses natural elements to help improve the environment and support innovative new medical treatments.
Bare Native Founder and CEO Abigail Gibson spoke about the discovery. “It was unexpected and is simply groundbreaking,” she said. “The thought that our nature-based creation could change the course of brutal cancer therapy to improve patient experience and outcomes driven by speed of effectiveness is amazing, however this has to be researched further.”
Bare Native and Canterbury Christ Church University are now seeking £200,000 funding to further research development, to provide quantifiable calculations and prove the anti-inflammatory properties of natural composition based product are effective. The University is looking to resource a postgraduate student to specifically work on the next steps of the research.