NEWCASTLE, England, June 13 (UPI) -- British researchers say that a drug used to treat cancer shows promise as a means of preventing premature births.
Trichostatin A, usually called TSA, increases the number of receptors in the walls of the uterus for a pregnancy hormone that keeps the muscles in a relaxed state, the team at the University of Newcastle found.
Dr. Nick Europe-Finner, the team leader, said that premature birth is still a major problem even in Britain and other European countries, with babies born early more likely to have problems.
"Our laboratory tests show that the drug TSA is able to fool uterine muscle cells and suggest it could be a potential new therapeutic agent in preventing premature birth from occurring," he said. "We now need to take the research a step further and test it in a clinical setting, although funding for this would be required."
TSA is used to treat breast, lung and colon cancer.
