A protein that functions as a cancer drug for leadership in animal experiments has been developed by an international team that includes several researchers from the University of Western Australia.

The natural protein is known to play an important role in promoting cell death (for example in mammary cells after the young are weaned), prevention of cell proliferation, promoting cell differentiation, and in this new discovery, by blocking the formation of blood vessels.

The trial results, published in the American Journal of Pathology showed that the protein – related protein secreted curly 4 (sFRP4) – inhibits tumors in the same degree as a very successful antibody, Avastin ®.

Winthrop Professor Arun Dharmaraj UWA School of Anatomy and Human Biology and UWA, said Anna University (AU), Chennai, India, holders of patents on the use of sFRP4 as angiogenesis inhibitor and are eager to find a trading partner for project.

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Women diagnosed with breast cancer within 12 months after pregnancy are 48 percent more likely to die than other young women with breast cancer, according to a survey by the University of Western Australia.

However, in a study of 3,000 breast cancer patients younger than 45 years, found that if the cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy, your risk of death was only a three percent higher than non-pregnant women with cancer.

Research Assistant Professor Angela Ives at UWA Cancer and Palliative Care Research and Evaluation has shown that very little is known about gestational breast cancer (cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or even a year later.)

“We decided to learn more to enable women to make informed decisions about your cancer treatment and pregnancy,” he said. With his colleagues, Associate Professor / Professor Yves analyzed statistics from Western Australia’s data link system – one of the few such systems in the world.

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