Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Anti-viral enzyme could fight mutations that cause cancer

Details

  • Description

    Dr. Marc Siegel explains

  • Duration 3:09
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Latest Health

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

By researchers at the university of Minnesota could change the landscape for women with breast cancer but -- to break through eventually help in the fight against all cancers doctor Marc Siegel -- a member of the Fox News medical eighteen is also professor of medicine at New York university's -- on medical center always good to see doctor and you said this is a big story why this is very exciting when we walk you through this the university of Minnesota has a team that works on viruses.

Viruses.

Have genetics to the may have DNA.

There's an enzyme called -- -- -- back three being I don't want you to remember that -- this enzyme.

Helps us deactivate viruses it stops HIV it's -- -- from occurring.

So this -- been looking at this this enzyme and to try to figure out how it stops HIV and they found lo and behold.

That it causes the mutations found in breast cancer.

They found it.

In over half of breast -- it has kind of what we call a genetic signature they can actually figure out how what's causing.

The breast cancer in this April back three B is also found and other cancers so -- they're saying this is really state of the art stuff and was published in the journal called nature.

Which is a real where a lot of this great research comes out.

They're saying -- wait a minute if we can stop this enzyme from doing this damage if we can block it.

We might be able to stop the cancer from occurring in the first place that kind of genetic alteration is the future -- not only breast cancer.

Overall cancer.

Get it to stop from happening and it's not a coincidence that some of the same enzymes involved.

With cancer of the same ones we used to stop viruses so hot and we take this out of the lab and into real life how -- -- -- -- -- is the billion dollar question what we're gonna have to do is develop drugs to stop this -- And that's gonna happen next it's very it's first thing is figure out.

Who has it.

What you what genetics and your family -- cause you have -- cause we already know the breakthroughs in breast cancer in the last few years have been based on that.

-- as a drug that came out because of knowing genetic signatures some people have that genetic problem others don't now this is even more prominent.

So if we can figure out a way to stop this sends them from doing its dirty work in breast cancer and and other cancers we're gonna stop the cancer in its tracks remember.

You start with a little tumor cell then it might not then -- goes into a -- when the the big going to be -- it was just a couple selves you're not gonna actually have the physical cancer.

We have a spending problem in this country but do we need to spend more federal dollars.

On this kind of research.

In order to find these kinds of cures that are so important that touched so many people's lives well Rick you know the answer to that because by the time you get to the chemotherapy stage.

You're talking.

Thousands and thousands of dollars to help keep somebody stay alive.

Much better if you can get this before it even happens detected before I even need a mammogram to find it or cat's scared to find.

This is where we're having.

Because again and people out there need to know this and they probably don't know this most cancers are caused by genetic abnormalities -- court.

By mutations that occur in doctor Marc Siegel and leave it there thank you very much for that very important to conduct very important research good to see.

Load More