Hong Kong professor finds novel cancer treatment effective in mice
Chinese and Western medicine used together to spur the body's own immune system
A Chinese University professor has discovered a novel cellular treatment for cancers and tumours in mice that he thinks could lead to a radical change in the way certain kinds of cancer are treated in humans.
Professor Lan Hui-yao and his team have conducted laboratory tests on mice and have successfully killed solid tumours and cancers for melanoma and lung cancer in three weeks.
The team is now preparing to embark on clinical trials to assess the efficacy of the product on humans with a view to securing approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
"I am excited by this discovery but also cautious. There's a big gap between mice and humans." Lan, 60, told the South China Morning Post.
He said the most significant aspect of his team's discovery was that it used the body's immune system to reverse the process that was causing the tumours to proliferate.
Most treatments for cancer involve chemotherapy or radiology which, in addition to killing cancer cells, kill healthy cells and cause serious side effects for the patient.