Fighting cancer with minerals, a project that nurtures life

Minerais contra o cancro, o proxecto que nutre a vida

The research staff of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine joins forces with the Lucus Augusti University Hospital to study the role of microminerals in cancer patients

Lugo

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Just like a vehicle needs fuel to move, there are a series of elements that are essential for the proper functioning of the body. Bone formation, wound healing or the regulation of growth and of blood sugar levels are some examples of the physiological and biochemical processes in which a specific type of essential nutrients are involved: microminerals.

The Animal Medicine Research Group (IMedA) of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the USC's Campus Terra and the Lucus Augusti University Hospital (HULA) are focussing on these elements through the project “Minerais contra o cancro” (Minerals Against Cancer).

This charitable initiative seeks to look into the potential role that microminerals can play in cancer patients in the province of Lugo. In this sense, there is evidence of a close connection between some mineral deficiencies and certain tumors, such as selenium deficiency and breast or prostate cancer.

With this evidence under the microscope, its primary goal is to determine its possible impact on some types of tumors and to determine whether its use in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy can contribute to improving its outcome.

But this initiative needs a bit of help from the citizens of Lugo. On one hand, they need blood samples to study the basal levels of the healthy population of the province of Lugo. And, on the other hand, they are inviting people to finance the analysis of minerals through the Precipita crowdfunding platform, operated by Fecyt.

In fact, collaboration is one of the most relevant aspects of this R&D initiative, which is part of the doctoral thesis that Inés Rivas Fernández is working on. Apart from the involvement of the teaching and research staff of both Campus Terra and the HULA, the local association Somos Unidos Contra o Cancro has contributed with a €1,500 donation.

Joining efforts is key in the fight against any disease, and also allows Campus Terra to continue to move forward on its journey full of great research projects.