Cancer drugs should be tailored to fit patient

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 06:59:59 -0500

In a study that may change the way that cancer drugs are developed and prescribed, a research group composed of Roche scientists and doctors at the prestigious Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have determined that genetic mutations are different in every patient, suggesting that drugs will need to be "tailored" for small groups. Using less expensive technology to study the genes in tumors, the researchers determined that four patients suffering from the lethal--and rare--lung-sac each had unique groups of mutated genes. That means that more drugs like Herceptin and Gleevec, which target specific genetic mutations, are most likely to prove effective. However, The New York Times also raises the question whether some cancers will be so unique to individuals that developing cancer drugs for them would be too expensive. The study was published by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Now that we understand that everything is doggone different, I think we have to look at each patient completely," Dr. David Sugarbaker says. "What we need to do is pair up the right patient with the right drug." Analyzing the patients' DNA, though, cost $100,000 per person in the study. Less expensive technology could reduce that bill to a still hefty $12,000.

- read the article in the Wall Street Journal

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Novartis bankrolls a drug manufacturing revolution

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

With the help of a $65 million contribution from Novartis, scientists at MIT are launching a 10-year program aimed at revolutionizing the way drugs are manufactured. At the heart of the project is an effort to dump the traditional approach to manufacturing drugs in batches in favor of a high-tech process that allows for continual processing. For Novartis, the new research effort underscores a long-term commitment to the Boston area, where it has developed extensive scientific programs involved in drug discovery and manufacturing. Up to 10 MIT faculty members will be involved in the manufacturing research program, and they'll be assisted by dozens of students and postdoctoral staffers.

It won't be an easy task. Drug manufacturing today requires extensive efforts involving a series of chemical reactions that have to be undertaken one step at a time. And as any manufacturer would be quick to tell you, even the slightest fluctuations in the environment or the manufacturing approach can derail the process. The scientists will look to develop a new approach that conveys drugs through an automated and continuous approach, much like the way cars are made today.

- see the press release
- read the article from the Boston Globe

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