Diabetes drug may revolutionise cancer treatment

A COMMONLY prescribed diabetes drug has the potential to “revolutionise” cancer treatment, it was claimed.

The drug, metformin, boosts an important immune system defence against cancer, scientists have learned.

They believe the medicine could be used in conjunction with vaccines to provide promising new cancer therapies.

Metformin may also enhance the effectiveness of anti-viral vaccines.

The Canadian and US researchers stumbled on the breakthrough while investigating immune system mechanisms in mice.

They found that the ability of immune system cells to “remember” biological agents they have targeted before depends on them burning fatty acids for energy instead of sugar.

“Immunological memory” has been studied for years but has not been well understood until now. It is the key process behind vaccines, which trigger an immune reaction by offering the immune system a recognisable target.

One of the biggest obstacles in the way of developing successful cancer vaccines is that the immune system’s memory often fails when it comes to cancer.

The new research suggests that metformin, which increases fatty acid metabolism to combat diabetes, could boost immunological memory.

This in turn could lead to exciting new anti-cancer therapies, say the scientists.

Study leader Professor Yongwon Choi, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said: “Our findings were unanticipated, but are extremely important, and could revolutionise current strategies for both therapeutic and protective vaccines.”

The research is published in the journal Nature.