Study says protein discovery could have positive effect on cancer cells. Researchers at the University Of Michigan School Of Dentistry have discovered that a protein in patients with oral cancer could potentially give new treatment hope to patients suffering from certain types of head and neck cancer. The researchers discovered that when the protein Sirtuin-3 in oral cancer cells was studied in a petri-dish in the laboratory, the cells did not multiply. This was a breakthrough when the suppressed protein in the cancer cells and combines it with radiation or chemotherapy; the prohibitive effect on cancer cells was even greater as was stated by Dr. Yvonne Kapila, associate professor of dentistry at Michigan. Mice that were exposed to SIRT3-inhibited oral cancer cells had about a 75 percent reduction in tumors compared to the mice that weren’t. Sirtuin group of proteins are key regulators for cell integrity and survival.