Kingston University is collaborating with UK neobank Science Card in order “to drive major breakthrough in cervical cancer treatment.”
Science Card claims that it is creating “a unique science funding infrastructure by collaborating with UK universities to enable users of its socially-conscious e-money current account app to directly support research projects focused on building a more sustainable future.”
Science Card, the home of Britain’s e-money current accounts dedicated to accelerating science and innovation, has announced a new collaboration with Kingston University London in order to fund life-changing research “into the potential of fig latex in combating cervical cancer.”
Cervical cancer is a form of cancer found “anywhere in the cervix, and is primarily caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a very common group of oncogenic viruses.”
Mostly diagnosed in women in their early 30s, there are “about 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer each year in the UK, and according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cervical cancer ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer and cancer death among women.”
Current cervical cancer treatments, “like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, harm healthy tissues as they cannot distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells, leading to hair loss, fatigue and severely weakened immunity.”
However, previous research conducted “by Dr. Ashrafi’s team has demonstrated how fig latex, a substance derived from the unripe fruits of fig trees at the time of harvesting, can inhibit HPV-induced cervical cancer by boosting tumour suppressor proteins, without harming healthy cells as current treatments do.”
The research project, led “by pathology and cancer biology expert at Kingston University Dr Hossein Ashrafi, will build on this previous research to characterize the bioactive compounds of fig latex and understand its therapeutic mechanisms.”
The project, which will be “conducted with a firm commitment to a no animal testing approach, aims to develop a less harmful, lower-risk approach to treating cervical cancer, with the goal of improving patients’ quality of life.”
This research project is focused “on developing novel, life-saving treatment for cervical cancer patients and also holds the potential to treat other forms of cancer, which, ultimately, could make a huge positive impact on both the scientific community and society as a whole.”
Associate Professor in Pathology/Cancer Biology at Kingston University Dr Hossein Ashrafi, who also “holds a PhD from Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, is leading the project and believes fig latex could be crucial to fighting cervical cancer. “Cervical cancer is a major global health issue – with about one in 140 females in the UK being diagnosed with cervical cancer in their lifetime.”
While current treatments can remove lesions, “preventing spreading and reducing tissue damage remains a major hurdle, finding a safer treatment is absolutely critical,” he said.
He added:
“Fig latex has demonstrated its potential in fighting cervical cancer but how it works remains unknown, and is exactly what we aim to find out with this project. Science Card and its users bring us hope and will help us get closer to our goal of finding a less invasive treatment for cervical cancer that reduces patient suffering.”
Science Card boosts UK STEM research by “addressing funding challenges, fostering technological advancements and retaining talented scientists in the country.”
When the platform officially launches later this quarter, this research will “be one of a dozen other scientific peer-reviewed projects that Science Card users will be able to contribute to and potentially stand to benefit from the commercialization of the research’s intellectual property (IP).”