{"id":5462,"date":"2025-06-22T14:58:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T14:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5462\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T14:58:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T14:58:21","slug":"scientists-have-found-a-breakthrough-in-cancer-treatment-and-it-is-deep-within-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5462\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists have found a breakthrough in cancer treatment, and it is deep within the ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

A team of scientists led by the University of Mississippi<\/a> has discovered a rare sugar in sea cucumbers that may help stop cancer<\/a> from spreading, without the dangerous side effects of traditional treatments.What does the discovery say?
The study published in the journal Glycobiology reveals that a compound called fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, found in the sea cucumber<\/a> Holothuria floridana, blocks Sulf-2, an enzyme that cancer cells use to grow and metastasize. The compound could become a critical tool in future cancer therapies.\u201cMarine life produces compounds with unique structures that are often rare or not found in terrestrial vertebrates,\u201d said Marwa Farrag, a fourth-year doctoral student and lead author of the study. \u201cThe sugar compounds in sea cucumbers are unique. They aren\u2019t commonly seen in other organisms. That\u2019s why they\u2019re worth studying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sulf-2 plays a key role in altering glycans, sugar molecules that coat the surface of all human cells and regulate communication and immune responses. When this enzyme modifies glycans, it helps cancer cells break away and spread. Blocking Sulf-2 may stop tumors from invading healthy tissues.<\/p>\n

\"ETLive Events\u201cThis sugar essentially stops the pruning of the cellular \u2018forest,\u2019\u201d said Dr. Vitor Pomin, associate professor of pharmacognosy. \u201cIf we can inhibit that enzyme, we are fighting against the spread of cancer.\u201d
The research team, which also included scientists from Georgetown University, used lab testing and computer modeling to confirm the sugar’s effect. Both methods produced consistent results.
Safe for human use
Unlike some Sulf-2 inhibitors already known, this sea cucumber sugar does not affect blood clotting, making it safer for use in humans. \u201cIf a molecule interferes with blood coagulation, you risk life-threatening bleeding,\u201d said Dr. Joshua Sharp, associate professor of pharmacology. \u201cThis one doesn\u2019t.\u201dLack of abundance
The team now faces a new challenge: sea cucumbers aren\u2019t abundant enough to harvest for mass production. \u201cOne of the problems in developing this as a drug would be the low yield,\u201d said Dr. Pomin. \u201cSo, we have to develop a chemical route.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scientists are currently working to synthesize the compound in the lab so it can be tested in animal models.<\/p>\n

If successful, this breakthrough could pave the way for cleaner, safer, and more sustainable cancer treatments, originating not from synthetic chemicals or land animals, but from the ocean floor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A team of scientists led by the University of Mississippi has discovered a rare sugar in sea cucumbers…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6959,235,6961,6958,6956,6955,6954,6962,210,6957,67,132,6960,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-5462","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-breakthrough-in-cancer-research","9":"tag-cancer","10":"tag-cancer-medicine","11":"tag-cancer-research","12":"tag-cancer-sign","13":"tag-cancer-symptoms","14":"tag-cancer-treatment","15":"tag-cancer-types","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-sea-cucumber","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-university-of-mississippi","21":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114727610276000266","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}