Scientists from the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Centre have unveiled the remarkable results of a clinical trial into a new treatment for the deadly mesothelioma cancer.
Although the results are far from conclusive, case reports from the trial show that for one patient, his cancer has been almost entirely eliminated by the treatment.
51-year-old Bradley Selmon was exposed to asbestos while renovating fibro homes in South Sydney.
He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2013 and as his tumours continued to grow and chemotherapy treatments stopped working, he decided to be one of ten patients in a clinical trial he heard about on television.
The clinical trial was funded by Andrew Lloyd, a victim of mesothelioma who died in 2011 and left $1.2 million for the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute to run the new trial.
"We weighed up all the options and decided that would be the way to go," Mr Selmon said.
The treatment loads small cells, called nanocells, with genes called microRNA - which are missing in patients that have microthelioma - and delivers them to the cancerous area, where they help inhibit tumour growth.
Since beginning the treatment in December last year, Mr Selmon has seen his symptoms largely disappear and his tumours cease growing.
"The pain was receding, it was very surprising - I just felt normal again," Mr Selmon said.
Mr Selmon's oncologist, Dr Steven Kao, said although the results are promising, it is too early to declare the trial a breakthrough.
"[His tumours] have just disappeared," he said.
"I must say that i don't know how long this is going to work for. I would be cautious in calling this a cure, I think only time will tell."
Professor Nico van Zandwijk from the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute, who was the principal coordinator of the trial, said the treatment is promising.
"We are giving, through that mini-cell, that missing MicroRNA back to the body, and that mini-cell is directed to the tumour by an anti-body."
"Our expectation is that if this development continues to be positive, we will still need two to three years before we reach the next stage."
