‘Saving as many lives as possible’
A treatment for Parkinson's disease has led to a breakthrough in cancer research. A discovery by Pierre Sonveaux from Sterrebeek attracted the attention of the international press last year. Someone had succeeded for the first time in blocking cancer metastasis. ‘In simple terms: we have found a way of preventing cancer cells that spread to other organs from migrating. Using a molecule now used to treat Parkinson's and other diseases, we can prevent metastasis. Cancers that normally spread can be rendered less aggressive so they are easier to treat. It is an agent to protect against the formation of metastasis. We have succeeded in stopping the formation of invasive human breast cancer cells in mice. I hope we can start testing on human beings in three years' time.’ (RK, juni 2015)