(ANSA) - ROME, APRIL 08 - A new path opens up for the treatment of melanoma and other forms of cancer.
In fact, the University of Colorado scholars have discovered a particular intracellular complex that leads to the growth and formation of cancer.
It's called Nlpr3, and by inhibiting it, researchers have noticed that it can reduce inflammation and subsequent tumor expansion.
According to the work, published in the scientific journal PNAS, Nlpr3 promotes inflammation by inducing the maturation and release of interleukin-1-beta, a cytokine that causes inflammation as part of the normal immune response to infection.
In cancer, however, inflammation itself can cause tumors to grow and spread.
Scholars are analyzing the role of an inhibitor, dapansutrile, which in some clinical studies has already shown to be effective for the treatment of gout and heart disease and which is currently also being tested for the treatment of Covid-19.
Cancer researchers are now trying to find out whether this inhibitor can be used successfully in more resistant melanoma patients.
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