UP students discover potential cancer treatment in horn snail

UP students discover potential cancer treatment in horn snail



These Filipino students from University of the Philippines-Manila has made a discovery having in mind that around 59,000 of their countrymen are dying from different type of cancers every year.
They are addressing a medical issue that will benefit first and foremost –Filipinos.

The Philippines being an archipelagic country and noting the abundance of different organisms locally like the horn snail or locally known as “bagongon”.

horn snails “bagongon” (Telescopium telescopium)
(photo credit to owner)
Extracted compounds from the “bagongon” were discovered to have properties that may be used for the development of a cancer treatment.
Students from the University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila, in a study published in the journal Acta Medica Philippina last month, found that certain extracts from locally abundant horn snails “bagongon” (Telescopium telescopium) may prevent angiogenesis or the formation of blood vessels from existing ones.
The blood vessels, according to the authors, supply oxygen and nutrients for the growth of cancer cells, making angiogenesis a significant mechanism of growth and spread of cancer cells in the body.

“By preventing angiogenesis, cancer cells are starved and do not grow and spread,” read an abstract of the study released by the UP office of the vice president for academic affairs.
“Therefore, the use of anti-angiogenic agents has been an advantageous therapy for cancer. This study evaluated the potential antiangiogenic activity of Telescopium telescopium locally known as Bagongon,” it added.
The paper are co-authored by industrial pharmacy graduates Milany Anne Luay, Mary France Gonzaga and Sharmaine Kae Po, along with their adviser Erna Arollado, currently the director of the UP Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Po in an interview with Philippine Star, clarified that their research on the bagongon is only an initial step into finding an actual cure or treatment for cancer using extracts from horn snails.

She said more studies and trials are needed in order for a cure to be made available to the public.






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Report from PhilStar

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