chemotherapy

Nanotubes superior at delivering chemotherapy

John Carroll — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:02:29 -0400

Tiny nanotubes were used to precisely deliver a concentrated payload of chemotherapy directly to the site of a tumor, according to a team of scientists at Stanford University. By sizing the nanotubes to slip through tumor tissue while being blocked by the walls of healthy blood vessels, the researchers say that the new approach avoids the harsh side effects usually associated with chemotherapy. And after 22 days of treatment the mice in the nanotube group had tumors half the size of the tumors in mice being treated with a standard chemotherapy. The breakthrough could also allow physicians to significantly reduce doses of chemotherapy.

"We are definitely hoping to be able to push this to practical applications into the clinic," chemistry professor Hongjie Dai told the San Jose Mercury News.

--read the report in the San Jose Mercury News

Illumina offers understanding of molecular mechanisms

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

San Diego-based Illumina is commercializing three new products aimed at a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that give rise to cancer. Illumina's DASL Assay is designed to profile expression in degraded RNA, such as that found in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples. At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers are using whole-genome DASL profiling to identify molecular profiles associated with chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer.

"We have a significant number of archived ovarian cancer samples, and this new approach has provided me with a way to finally access the information in these invaluable samples," said Harvard's Dr. John Quackenbush. "The DASL assay gives us the ability to obtain consistent, high-quality data from FFPE samples and has opened-up new avenues of investigation that were not previously available to us."

- check out the press release
- read the story in Forbes

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A new strategy for fighting melanoma

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

The notion that cancer stem cells are responsible for much of the worst damage associated with the disease took another step forward with the release of a new study from Harvard Medical School that identified antibodies that could be used to slow melanoma, the most lethal form of cancer. Co-author George Murphy noted that their work shows that cancer stem cells can be effectively targeted, offering a new therapeutic approach for a range of cancers. There's been a growing belief that cancer cells aren't all made alike, with a particular emphasis on stem cells that appear to be resistant to chemotherapy. The next step is to take the animal studies into man. Researchers suggested that this approach toward fighting cancer could become common in just a few years.

"If this works with melanoma, this may also work with other tumors that are notoriously difficult to treat" once they have spread, Dr. Murphy told the Boston Globe.

- read the article in the Boston Globe

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Cancer stem cells needed for metastatic growth

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich have determined that cancer stem cells govern metastasis in pancreatic cancer as well as making tumors resistant to chemotherapy. Patrick Hermann and colleagues focused specifically on pancreatic cancer, but scientists in the field say that it's a validation of other research that has identified a specific set of stem cells as playing a pivotal role in advancing a variety of cancers. Cancer stem cells are characterized by the cell surface antigen CD133. A subset of CD133 cells formed tumors and metastases when injected into mice. Compounds that attack these specific cells could play a big role in future anti-cancer therapies.

- read the article from The Scientist

Fat bubbles used to deliver chemo

Tue, 28 Aug 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Tiny fat bubbles can be used to deliver powerful chemotherapy drugs to the site of tumors. Investigators at Duke University have been injecting chemotherapy into fat liposomes and injecting them into the bloodstream. Using a microwave gun, researchers can melt the fat at the tumor site, releasing potent doses of the drug. Those liposomes that aren't heated don't melt, avoiding the harsh side effects associated when healthy tissue is exposed to chemotherapy. And any chemotherapy that does leak into healthy tissue is released after a period of weeks, allowing the body to cleanse itself. Lead researcher Dr Mark Dewhirst says he believes this approach could be used against a variety of cancer types.

- read the report from the Daily Mail

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MediGene advances viral approach to treating cancer

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Germany's MediGene grabbed the headlines at a conference in Switzerland recently with new efficacy data from a Phase I/II trial of a genetically engineered herpes virus designed to kill cancer cells. NV1020 was designed to replicate only in cancer cells, killing the host while leaving healthy tissue alone. In one advanced case where the cancer had spread to a variety of places in the body, the therapy--in combination with chemotherapy--almost eradicated several tumors in the liver area. That patient survived an additional 12 months. People with cancer that has spread to the liver rarely survive very long. These first human cases in the trial follow animal studies that demonstrated the approach was effective in treating liver cancer and colorectal cancer. The researchers also believe that this method of treatment would avoid many of the severe complications associated with treating cancer patients.

- see this release
- read the article from Fox News

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Oklahoma professors unveil new approach to cancer therapy

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A pair of scientists at the University of Oklahoma say they have developed a fusion protein that can prevent the spread of cancer. The fusion protein blocks cancer cells from ingesting methionine, a protein they need to develop. The researchers have developed a mechanism that delivers the compound directly to cancer cells, avoiding any damage to healthy cells. The research fits into a broad range of programs looking to develop new ways to deliver cancer therapies without harming healthy cells, avoiding harsh side effects linked to chemotherapy. While the professors say they have started with breast cancer research, the same approach should work in a broad array of solid tumor cancers. They expect to conduct another round of animal tests before entering the clinic.

- here's the AP report on the cancer program

Biotech says nano-device can directly target cancer cells

Mon, 14 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

An Australian biotech company says it has developed a "nano-cell" that can be used to directly deliver drugs to cancer cells. Reporting in Cancer Cell journal, EnGeneIC reports the approach worked in primates and promises to help greatly reduce the amount of cancer therapies needed for treatment, while avoiding many of the harsh side effects that are common to chemotherapy. The nano-cell relies on antibodies to dock on the cancer cell for targeted delivery. Researchers hope to begin human trials later this year.

"For the first time there is a real possibility that this technology could lead to the use of multi-drug combinations and eventual custom-made therapies in cancer patients," research scientist Jennifer MacDiarmid said in a statement. "In terms of tumor therapy, most late-stage cancer patients carry tumor cells that exhibit various forms of drug resistance. Our technology may provide the first in-vivo (inside an organism) solution to this serious hurdle."

- here's the report from Scientific American

Chemotherapy connected to harsh side effects

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

New research appearing in the Journal of Biology shows that even low doses of chemotherapy are killing brain cells and cancer drugs are more malignant to healthy cells than diseased cells. The study focused on the effects of cisplatin, cytarabine and carmustine on rats and found that healthy cells were still dying weeks after therapy. And the harsh therapy not only targeted the dividing cells that spread cancer, but normal cells that weren't dividing. The study at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York concludes that there is solid evidence to show that chemotherapy is responsible for memory loss, vision loss and even dementia. One expert in the field said the study should act as a wake-up call and lead to new methods to protect the brains of patients subjected to chemotherapy.

- read the USA Today report