Bangalore,  Aug 10, 2010: Scientists from India and Australia are jointly working on a  research project to eradicate the roots of cancer cells, with support from the Indo-Australian Science and Technology Fund. This is a $2.7 billion project funded by the Australia India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF). Victoria's Deakin University in Australia and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, have come together to develop a new generation of effective cancer medications that would kill cancer initiating cells, with less side effects in patients, than current treatments.

Associate Professor Wei Duan, the project leader and researcher with Deakin’s Medical School said, “Our aim is to develop a safe and novel drug delivery system that hits cancer at its core, and kills the cells responsible for the resistance to current therapies, and the recurrence of the disease.”  “The aim of our research is to develop a ‘smart bomb’ that can penetrate the cells, and release the drugs within the cells, rather than from the outside, and kills the whole tumour, root and all”.

The success of this project will lead a step forward in significantly improving the survival rate and quality of life of cancer patients. This precision-guided cancer therapy will afford reduced side-effects, decreased toxicity to normal cells and increased treatment effectiveness. 

This project also has potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, heart disease and diabetes besides killing cancer at its core.