Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian cancer researchers develop tablet to prevent cancer recurrence

The tablet is also touted to reduce the side effects of treatments like radiation and chemotherapy by a significant 50 per cent

Indian cancer researchers develop tablet to prevent cancer recurrence

The Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) in Mumbai, a leading cancer research and treatment centre in India, claims to have made a groundbreaking discovery in cancer treatment. After a decade of research, scientists and doctors at the institute have developed a tablet that could prevent the recurrence of cancer in patients.

This tablet is also touted to reduce the side effects of treatments like radiation and chemotherapy by a significant 50 per cent. The key focus of this discovery is the understanding of what happens after cancer treatment.


According to the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) research, dying cancer cells release cell-free chromatin particles (cfChPs), fragments of chromosomes that can turn healthy cells into cancerous ones. Some of these particles may fuse with healthy chromosomes, leading to the formation of new tumours.

To tackle this problem, doctors administered pro-oxidant tablets containing resveratrol and copper (R+Cu) to rats. These tablets generate oxygen radicals that can destroy chromatin particles.

When taken orally, R+Cu produce oxygen radicals in the stomach, which are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. These radicals then work to destroy cfChPs released in circulation, preventing the movement of cancer cells from one part of the body to another, known as metastases.

Additionally, the researchers claim that R+Cu can help prevent chemotherapy toxicity. The researchers, in their presentation, referred to this breakthrough as the "Magic of R+Cu."

Led by Prof Indraneel Mittra from the Translational Research Laboratory at TMC's Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education (ACTREC), the study involved implanting human breast cancer cells into mice to induce tumour formation.

After establishing tumours, the mice underwent various treatments, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery. Notably, half of the mice received agents designed to deactivate or destroy cfChPs.

The focus on cfChPs arises from their potential role in the spread of cancer. After chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the researchers observed a significant increase in human DNA (cfChPs) and cancer proteins in the mice brains.

However, mice treated with cfChP-deactivating/destroying agents showed minimal presence of human cfChPs or cancer proteins in their brains.

The significance of these findings lies in the suggestion that cfChPs, containing cancer-causing genes, may travel through the bloodstream and enter healthy cells in different organs, contributing to the metastatic spread of cancer.

This challenges the traditional understanding of cancer metastasis and highlights the potential role of these released particles in initiating cancer in previously healthy cells.

Moreover, the study raises concerns about the unintended consequences of current cancer treatment practices. While chemotherapy and radiotherapy aim to eliminate primary tumour cells, the release of cfChPs from dying cells poses a potential threat.

These particles can travel to distant organs, instigating the formation of secondary tumours in otherwise healthy tissues. The researchers propose a shift in the perspective on cancer metastasis, urging clinicians to consider cfChPs as a potential culprit rather than attributing metastasis solely to migrating cancer cells.

This shift has critical implications for developing effective cancer treatment policies. Furthermore, the study advocates for the inclusion of drugs or agents that can deactivate or destroy cfChPs in cancer treatment protocols.

By targeting these particles, the researchers believe it is possible to mitigate the risk of metastatic spread.

This represents a potential breakthrough in enhancing the outcomes of cancer treatment, addressing not only the primary tumour but also the risk of secondary tumours arising from the release of cfChPs.

This cancer treatment breakthrough can be successful for the post-treatment of cancer-cured patients.

More For You

menstruation

The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women

iStock

Heavier bleeding and iron loss linked to long Covid in women, study finds

Highlights:

  • Survey of more than 12,000 UK women finds heavier, longer periods linked to long Covid
  • Symptom severity rises and falls across the menstrual cycle, worsening during periods
  • Tests reveal inflammation in womb lining and hormonal changes, but no damage to ovaries
  • Iron deficiency risk may exacerbate fatigue, dizziness and other common long Covid symptoms

Study highlights link between long Covid and menstrual changes

Women with long Covid are more likely to experience longer and heavier periods, putting them at increased risk of iron deficiency, researchers have found. The findings come from a UK survey of more than 12,000 women, which also showed that the severity of long Covid symptoms fluctuated across the menstrual cycle and often worsened during menstruation.

Findings from UK survey

Between March and May 2021, 12,187 women completed an online survey. Of these, more than 1,000 had long Covid, over 1,700 had recovered from the virus, and 9,400 had never tested positive. The study revealed that women with long Covid reported heavier and longer periods, as well as more frequent bleeding between cycles, compared with other groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
World Curry Festival 2025

The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations

World Curry Festival

Bradford’s first curry house traced back to 1942 ahead of World Curry Festival

Highlights:

  • Research for the World Curry Festival uncovered evidence of a curry house in Bradford in 1942.
  • Cafe Nasim, later called The Bengal Restaurant, is thought to be the city’s first.
  • The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
  • Festival events will include theatre, lectures, and a street food market.

Historic discovery in Bradford’s food heritage

Bradford’s claim as the curry capital of Britain has gained new historical depth. Organisers of the World Curry Festival have uncovered evidence that the city’s first curry house opened in 1942.

Documents revealed that Cafe Nasim, later renamed The Bengal Restaurant, once stood on the site of the current Kashmir Restaurant on Morley Street. Researcher David Pendleton identified an advert for the cafe in the Yorkshire Observer dated December 1942, describing it as “Bradford’s First Indian Restaurant”.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
sugary drinks and ice cream

Researchers from the UK and US analysed data from American households between 2004 and 2019

iStock

Global warming may drive higher consumption of sugary drinks and ice cream, study warns

Highlights:

  • Hotter days linked to greater intake of sugary drinks and frozen desserts
  • Lower-income households most affected, research finds
  • Climate change could worsen health risks linked to sugar consumption
  • Study based on 15 years of US household food purchasing data

Sugary consumption rising with heat

People are more likely to consume sugary drinks and ice cream on warmer days, particularly in lower-income households, according to new research. The study warns that climate change could intensify this trend, adding to health risks as global temperatures continue to rise.

Sugar consumption is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and has surged worldwide in recent decades. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that rising heat could be nudging more people towards high-sugar products such as soda, juice and ice cream.

Keep ReadingShow less
Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates
vegetables from sides to stars

Camellia Panjabi (Photo: Ursula Sierek)

Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates vegetables from sides to stars

RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.

Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.

Keep ReadingShow less