Milk cells in human breasts that were thought of as dead are alive and working, which ignites a ray of hope for many.
Research by Cambridge University found that dead breast milk cells are alive
What happened?
Research conducted by members at Cambridge University has revealed that breast milk cells, which were thought of as dead, were alive. This piece of news comes as a blessing for many people battling breast cancer as these active milk cells can be used for treating breast cancer. This research is published in the journal “Nature Communications” this week.
These cells can give an early indication of breast cancer. Besides that, these milk cells will assist scientists and researchers in finding out how breast tissues change when women breastfeed their babies.
A leading author from Cambridge University, Dr Alecia-Jane Twigger, who worked on the research, said that breast tissues keep evolving as a human being develops.
They change and transform when puberty hits, and a woman gets pregnant, when her breastfeeding journey begins and as she ages. Thus, these live milk cells, previously presumed dead, will help detect breast cancer early.
How was the study conducted?
To carry out the research, the scholars gathered breast tissues from the breastfeeding women and those who weren’t breastfeeding. These collected milk tissues were used to determine the difference between the two.
Hence, they learned that 50 ml of breast tissues, i.e., less than one-quarter of a cup, contains more than cells that the researchers could use to conduct several studies.
When Dr Alecia found live cells in breast tissues and informed the news to Dr Walid Khaled, he was surprised and happy that a new ray of hope had been found. Dr Walid is a member of Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge University and was a researcher in the study.
The study ignites inspiration in many, and the scholars hope that the new revelation might help develop treatments for breast cancer.
