Survival Techniques of Cancer Cells in Human Body

Jul, 2021 - By WMR

Researchers discovered that cancer cells consume its own damaged material in the cells to thrive in human body as these damaged membrane contains destructive substances that would kill them off.

An interesting fact about the survival of cancer cells in human body is brought into the picture by scientists in Denmark. Cancer researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark conducted a study to perceive the action of cancer membrane for its protection and survival in human body. They observed that cancer cells use all its efforts to thrive in human body. The cells involve in patching up with other injured cell membranes and consume those damaged materials in the cells. A ruptured membrane contains certain destructive fluid-like substance, which would kill them off. Cancer cells play a cunning role to protect themselves and survive by consuming its own damaged cell membranes.

Cancer cells undergo certain procedure while consuming its damaged cells. When these cells face certain injuries in its membranes, the cells cover the damage by using intact section of membrane that seal and repair the damage in very few minutes. Further, the damaged membrane is splited into various small spheres and passes through lysosomes in the cell that acts as a stomach that break them down performing digestion. This technique used by cancer cells to repair and consume its damaged cells is termed as macropinocytosis. During the research on cancer cells in lab, researchers experimented on cell membranes with laser by shooting it on small holes on the membrane and triggered the process of macropinocytosis. They also observed that their action of laser shoot blocked the sphere formations that ultimately restrain digestion process causing cancer cells to die.

Cancer cell membrane would rapidly spread through the body by micropinocytosis as it recycles the damaged membrane and allows them to multiply within few minutes. After the experiment, the researchers demonstrated that any obstacle, such as laser shoot, in the process of macropinocytosis would inhibit the survival of the cancer cells. The researchers claimed that the investigation to overcome these cancer cells is still under process and the target of investigation is to resist micropinocytosis for future treatments.