Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss researchers make bone cancer breakthrough

Scientist looking through microscope
Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare but very aggressive form of bone cancer. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

New research has enabled scientists to identify the most dangerous cancer cells found in Ewing’s sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer.

Researchers from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have developed a technique to identify which Ewing’s sarcoma cancer cells are most likely to trigger metastases and spread cancer within the body, the SNSF said in a statement on Wednesday.

Ewing’s sarcoma is a rare but very aggressive form of bone cancer that particularly affects children and young adults.

The scientists began by isolating the most dangerous cancer cells and growing them in a laboratory. They then genetically modified the tumour cells, introducing a gene that causes the dangerous cells to glow green if the cell is of the metastasising variety. The work has been published in the journal Science Advances.

More

“Identifying the gene associated with the risk of metastases opens new avenues for research”, said Ivan Stamenkovic, co-author of the paper and professor of experimental pathology at the University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV).

It is hoped that identifying the most dangerous cancer cells will open the door for treatments that target specific cells, Stamenkovic said.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

films

More

Swiss films made their mark abroad in 2024

This content was published on Several Swiss films exceeded the 100,000 admissions mark worldwide in 2024 and received widespread praise at international film festivals.

Read more: Swiss films made their mark abroad in 2024

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR