difficult types of cancer.
preventing the growth of blood vessels, or angiogenesis, the new treatment takes a different approach.
work well so the tumor cannot grow and survive.
less functional," Dr Gavin Thurston, of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown, New York, said in an interview.
early stages. There are drugs out there that are already particular area.
This is another step along that path," he added.
Avastin, developed by San Francisco-based Genentech and sold by Roche is a leading anti-angiogenic drug. It targets a tells cells to grow new blood vessels.
are not effective against all tumors.
In two separate reports in the science journal Nature, Thurston and his team and scientists at Genentech, led by Minhong Yan, describe how the new approach targets a different "Contrary to conventional wisdom, the extra blood vessels rather than feed them," Thurston explained.
He added that having both approaches, which may be mixed and combined, could be more powerful than just one.
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