Canadian researchers have found a key protein in connection with metastatic breast and ovarian cancers, raising the hope for "smart" therapies for these diseases.

A protein called podocalyxin, which hides on the surface of tumour cells, may be an accurate predictor of metastatic cancer, the kind of invasive cancer which spreads from its original site to other parts of the body, researchers from University of British Columbia (UBC) said.

"The nice thing about it is, since it's on the surface of cells, it actually is something that we can target antibodies to, or find a way to prevent its action," said Dr. Kelly McNagny, a stem cell expert with the UBC Biomedical Research Center.

McNagny said the finding is a "small but important step" to developing so-called "smart" molecules to block the protein's function.

The researchers said information from this discovery may speed development of new therapies within 10 years.

"The ultimate goal is to generate new targeted, non-toxic treatments," which is very different from the standard "slash and burn" chemotherapy, said Calvin Roskelley, an associate professor of cellular and physiological science.

The finding has been published online by the Public Library of Science.

According to data from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in 2006, more than 22,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 died of it.

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that approximately 2,300 new cases of ovarian cancer were diagnosed and about 1,600 women died of the disease last year.

Source: Xinhua