In a major step forward for cancer treatment, Israeli and Japanese researchers have created a highly targeted inhibitor for an enzyme that plays a critical role in helping cancer grow and spread
These findings offer new hope to patients battling aggressive forms of cancer, particularly in the pancreas.
The research, a collaborative effort involving the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the University of Tokyo, represents a major breakthrough in targeting an enzyme called Matrix Metallopeptidase 7 (MMP7) which facilitates the invasion of cancer cells into surrounding tissues.
MMP7 has structural similarities to other enzymes, which has made developing a drug to specifically block MMP7 without disrupting other essential enzymes a longstanding challenge. But a newly discovered peptide, named D’20, has shown remarkable potential in specifically targeting MMP7 while leaving other similar enzymes untouched.