by Frank Bergman
In a groundbreaking development for cancer treatment, scientists have announced that ivermectin may offer new hope in the battle against chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer.
Ivermectin, most commonly known as an antiparasitic, has been emerging as a major new treatment in fighting multiple forms of cancer.
The study was led by Dr. Cláudia Santos and conducted by researchers from UCIBIO and CESPU.
The findings were published in the medical journal Scientific Letters.
The study reveals that ivermectin may play a key role in overcoming chemotherapy resistance by targeting a critical protein marker, ALDH1.
ALDH1 has been linked to poor treatment responses and tumor relapse.
The research demonstrates that when ivermectin was combined with chemotherapy agents carboplatin and paclitaxel, ovarian cancer cells showed a dramatic decrease in ALDH1 expression.
The scientists note that this is a key factor in chemotherapy resistance.
The results were obtained from both standard and paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines and under different growth conditions, including 2D and 3D cell cultures.
The combination therapy significantly outperformed treatments using chemotherapy alone.
The findings provide a promising avenue to enhance the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies.