seaweed found on beaches across Britain may provide some important clues to scientists about the process through which cancer develops. Researchers at the University of West of England, Bristol, have discovered a technique to track the growth of deadly cancer cells in the body using a seaweed extract.
The researchers would use the method to find why some cancer cells break free from their original growth and travel around the body. During this process, the cells lead to lethal secondary cancers.
The scientists extracted lectin -- a protein -- from a type of ordinary seaweed. After procuring five milligrammes of lectin from 14 kilogrammes of seaweed, the researchers linked lectin to a marker dye before it attached itself to cancer cells.
With the help of the dye, scientists could track the movement of cancer cells as they split off to form secondary cancers. The dye has still not helpedscientists learn why some cancers are more dangerous than others. But they hope to find out more about the chemical changes responsible for division of cancer cells.
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