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Breast milk is being used to fight cancer after scientists discovered it contains a substance that kills tumour cells.
Trials in patients with bladder cancer yielded good results and researchers believe the compound breast milk contains – nicknamed Hamlet – will also help tackle bowel cancer and cervical cancer.
Breast milk is better than chemotherapy because it does not destroy healthy cells. Professor Catharine Svanborg, who made the initial discovery, said ‘There’s something magical about Hamlet’s ability to target tumour cells and kill them.’
Human breast milk contained a protein called alpha-lactalbumin, which is transformed into a cancer-fighting agent when in the gut.
Prof Svanborg, an immunologist at Lund University in Sweden, made the chance discovery that the substance kills tumour cells when working on antibiotics.
New breast milk is a very good source of antimicrobial agents. During one
experiment we needed human cells and bacteria to be present, and we chose human tumour cells for practical reasons.
‘To our amazement, when we added this compound of milk, the tumour cells died. The substance attacks cancer cells in numerous ways – first evading the cell’s outer defences, then targeting the ‘power station’ mitochondria and the nucleus.
These actions cut off the cell’s energy source and ‘programme’ it to commit suicide, in a process called apoptosis.
Early trials in patients with bladder cancer show those injected with Hamlet start shedding dead tumour cells in their urine within days.