Cancer has been a nuisance to humanity for as long as we have existed. There is no certain way of preventing it and no way to completely remove it from someone. It is truly an unforgiving disease, which kills without mercy or judgment.

This can all change, as researchers based at the U.S Mayo Clinic have found a way to revert mutated cells back to healthy normal cells. The process involves adding certain molecules back to the cells, which would prevent them from multiplying and stopping the cancer from spreading. The research is still in its early stages, but it shows promising results as the researchers have successfully reverted bladder and breast cancer cells back to normal.

Cells need to divide themselves regularly, as so to replace themselves. Cancer cells, however, do not have a regulated dividing rate, leading to abnormal cell growth rate and, thus, tumor growth. This happens because of molecules called microRNA. When cells divide, microRNA regulates and suppresses the production of cells, but sometimes the microRNA levels are disrupted, leading to unstopped production of cells, mutating healthy cells to cancer cells.

“Initial experiments in some aggressive types of cancer are indeed very promising”, says Professor Panos Anastasiadis, of the Department for Cancer Biology. “By administering the affected microRNAs in cancer cells to restore their normal levels, we should be able to re-establish the brakes and restore normal cell function” he says.

It has, so far, only been tested in test tubes, but researchers are hopeful that they can someday conduct tests on real humans. If this is successful, cancer victims will not have to face harsh radiation through chemotherapy or the dangers of surgery.

“This important study solves a long-standing biological mystery, but we mustn’t get ahead of ourselves”, states Scowcroft, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information manager, “[There is] a long way to go before we know whether these findings, in cells grown in a laboratory, will help treat people with cancer. But it’s a significant step forward in understanding how certain cells in our body know when to grow, and when to stop. Understanding these key concepts is crucial to help continue the encouraging progress against cancer we’ve seen in recent years.”

Many say it is unlikely that cancer cells can be reverted back to normal through just one mechanism, but this discovery could lead to better understandings of cancer itself and how we can get rid of it efficiently and easily. If this discovery proves promising, maybe then can we finally sever cancer’s tie on humanity.

Poon S