Jakarta (Greeners) – Indonesian Institute for Sciences or LIPI developed breast cancer detection kit, HER2, as the initial step to determine effective medical treatment.

“This detection technology is not the prevention but to get a sense of further steps for therapy with trastuzumab,” said Desriani, head of Biotechnology Research Center in Jakarta on Monday (04/02/2019).

The latest report released by International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization (WHO) predicts 18.1 million new cases of cancer and 9.6 millions of deaths in 2018.

Female recorded the highest number of cancer care with 2.1 millions per year in 2018, with 627,000 deaths or 15 percent.

READ ALSO: Indonesian Scientists Develops Antibiotics from the Country’s Rich Biodiversity 

Furthermore, Desriani said that the triggers for breast cancer are three gens, — estrogen receptor, progresteron receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) –.

“At least 20 percent out of breast cancer patients or one out of five are positive HER2. This positive HER2 is obtained because of estrogen receptor and progresteron receptor are negative. The excess of protein of HER2 is growing cancer cells and widely spreading compare to cells with normal protein level. So, this HER2 kit will be used to detect whether patients are categorized as HER2 patients to determine the therapy for patients,” she said.

READ ALSO: Indonesia’s Drugs and Food Agency Support Herb Small Enterprises 

She said that the kit is under development and still needs further tests, such as sensitivity, specification, stability, and blind test.

Ministry of Health has expressed there will be further research on the kit.

“Besides the KIT, the researchers conducted by LIPI are interferon alfa-2a non-fusion and interferon alfa-2a fusion with human serum albumin. This protein has the ability to slow down cancer cells growth,” she said.

With human serum albumin, the diagnosis via HER2 kit is validated by Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization or CISH method as 86 percent compatibility to detect the status of HER2 on cancer patients.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – A senior scientists said that Indonesia Institute of Sciences, or LIPI, is currently developing sponge, sea cucumber, seaweed, and other marine organisms for cancer cure.

Based Basic Health Research of Ministry of Health, cancer prevalent has been increasing from 1.4 percent in 2013 to 1.8 percent in 2018.

However, only 80 percent of cancer cure medicines available are made of natural ingredients or synthetics since 1980s.

Ratih Pangestuti of Oceanography Research Center of LIPI, said that Indonesian waters have rich marine biodiversity, hence, the institute is committed to research and develop active ingredients from marine organisms as cancer cure, food resources to prevent cancer.

“Since 2004, we have developed marine biota such as sponge, seaweed, and sea cucumber for cancer cure. These marine organisms have bio-active chemicals that can be developed as candidates for cancer cure agents with curative ability to cure and prevent cancer,” said Pangestuti, in Jakarta, on Monday (04/02/2019).

READ ALSO: Indonesian Scientists Develops Antibiotics from the Country’s Rich Biodiversity 

Furthermore, she said that marine biota for cancer cure are sponge and sea cucumber, meanwhile seaweed can be used to prevent cancer which also can be used as food to improve body resilience and reduce risks for diseases, such as cancer.

“So, from marine biota we researched, active chemicals, including Lissoclinum patella, Oxycoryna fascicularis, Didemnum molle, Botryllus schlosseri, Spheciospongia inconstan, Melophlus sarasironum, Oceanapia amboinensis, Biemna sp, Axinella sp, Haliclona (Gellius) sp, and Lamellodysidea herbaceae, have potentials as cancer cure,” she said.

READ ALSO: Indonesia’s Drugs and Food Agency Support Herb Small Enterprises 

Currently, the development is still in pre-clinical tests. To support the research, LIPI is cooperating with Spanish pharmacy company, Pharma Mar.

“This marine biota based cancer cure is not marketable yet as it is still in pre clinical trials and it will require five to 10 years of research. Hence, to speed up this research, we need the support from local pharmacy, state-owned companies or government. From previous cases, there were agreements but failed due to unfitting clauses and couldn’t reach the middle way,” she said.

The research, she added, needs long time because it needs to follow the procedure, starting from ingredients preparation, extraction and active chemical identification. In addition, it needs to pass invitro activity tests using cancer culture cell, DNA, to pre-clinical and clinical invivo activity tests.

“The research requires lots of funding, so we are hoping for interested pharmacy companies of state-owned companies working together to develop this marine biota based cancer cure,” she said.

Reports by Dewi Purningsih

Jakarta (Greeners) – Siapa yang tidak mengenal aktris kawakan Chandra Arianti Dewi Irawan atau kerap disapa Ria Irawan? Dikenal dengan keterlibatannya di berbagai film ternama, seperti Arisan, Berbagi Suami, dan Biola Tak Berdawai, kini Ria dikenal pula sebagai Duta Kanker Indonesia.

Sejak mengidap kanker getah bening, Ria kini menyediakan waktunya untuk saling menguatkan dengan sesama penderita kanker, salah satunya pada acara World Cancer Day 2015 yang diadakan di Rumah Sakit Cipto Mangunkusumo, Jakarta pada Rabu (4/2) lalu.

Sebagai Duta Kanker Indonesia dan juga penderita kanker, Ria terus berharap masyarakat Indonesia mendapat edukasi lebih tentang kanker, mulai dari pencegahan, pengobatan, hingga alternatif penanggulangan kanker. “Aku harap masyarakat dapat informasi tambahan yang mencerdaskan tentang kanker itu sendiri,” ujar wanita yang tahun ini berusia 45 tahun tersebut.

Ia melanjutkan, keparnoan (ketakutan, Red.) dan kesoktahuan pun seketika menyeruak karena minimnya edukasi mengenai kanker dan banyaknya pandangan negatif yang terlanjur ada di masyarakat. Salah satunya seperti adanya anggapan menyeramkan mengenai pengobatan melalui proses kemoterapi dan radiasi.

Kemoterapi dan radiasi dikenal dapat memberikan efek yang mengakibatkan kebotakan, mual, hingga permasalahan kulit yang selalu dihindari oleh orang-orang. Ria menegaskan hal tersebut menjadi menakutkan karena kurangnya informasi akan proses pengobatan tersebut sehingga masyarakat mengambil kesimpulan sendiri atas hal tersebut.

“Aku juga dulu enggak tahu kalau kemo (kemoterapi) tuh cuma dimasukin infus. Aku pikir juga kayak dimasukin selang dari hidung masuk ke mata terus keluar lagi ke hidung. Itu karena memang kitanya kurang punya info soal itu,” lanjutnya sambil melontarkan canda.

Edukasi mengenai kanker pun tidak serta merta datang sendiri tanpa usaha. Ria pun mengatakan penderita kanker dan orang-orang disekitarnya perlu mencari tahu informasi lebih lanjut, serta berani untuk bertanya mengenai segala hal yang akan dilakukan berdasarkan anjuran dokter.

“Karena justru terkadang orang-orang di sekitar penderita suka kebanyakan parnonya. Akhirnya disuruh minum ini, makan itu. Parnonya orang yang enggak tahu itu yang bikin susah. Cukup semangatin aja,” katanya.

Kegelisahan akan minimnya edukasi mengenai kanker ini yang coba diperjuangkan oleh Ria bersama beberapa artis wanita pengidap kanker lainnya, seperti Julia Perez, yang tergabung dalam Duta Kanker Indonesia. Ia berharap dengan disorotnya dirinya dan rekan selebritinya, mereka dapat memberikan informasi lebih mengenai kanker kepada masyarakat luas.

“Untungnya ada teman-teman media yang mau menyorot teman-teman seperti aku dan Jupe (Julia Perez) ini sehingga dapat memberikan informasi untuk mengubah berbagai stigma yang sudah terlanjur timbul di masyarakat,” katanya.

(G16)