Cannabis-based chemicals study used to treat pancreatic cancer could have major impact, says Harvard researcher

Pancreatic cancer accounts for only 3% of all cancers in America. But with a year-to-year survival rate of just 20% (and a five-year survival rate of less than 8), it is expected to be the second leading cause of cancer deaths by 2020.

As a result, the titles on the disease tend to be discouraging. But this month, scientists from the Harvard University Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have released some good news. In their study, published in the journal Borders of Oncology On July 23, researchers revealed that a chemical found in cannabis had demonstrated a "significant therapeutic potential" in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The specific drug, called FBL-03G, is a derivative of a "flavonoid" cannabis – the name of a compound naturally present in plants, vegetables and fruits that, among other purposes, confers their bright color. Cannabis flavonoids were discovered by a London researcher named Marilyn Barrett in 1986 and later found to have anti-inflammatory effects.

Although scientists have long suspected that cannabis flavonoids may have therapeutic potential, the fact that they represent only 0.14% of the plant means that researchers would need to cultivate whole fields in order to extract sufficient quantities . This has changed recently when scientists have found a way to genetically engineer cannabis flavonoids – to study their benefits.

Enter the Dana-Farber researchers, who have decided to take the therapeutic potential of one of these flavonoids, FBL-03G, and test it on one of the deadliest cancers through drugs. 39, a laboratory experiment. The findings, according to Wilfred Ngwa, PhD, an assistant professor at Harvard and one of the researchers in the study, are "major".

"The most significant finding is that the delivery of flavonoids targeting tumors, derived from cannabis, has allowed the destruction of local and metastatic tumor cells, significantly increasing the survival of pancreatic cancer," Ngwa told Yahoo Lifestyle. "This is of major importance, since pancreatic cancer is particularly resistant to current therapies."

Ngwa says the study is the first to demonstrate the new potential treatment for pancreatic cancer. But in addition to killing these cells, the scientist discovered that the FBL-03G was able to attack other cancer cells, which frightened them even. "We were quite surprised that the drug could inhibit the growth of cancer cells in other parts of the body, representing metastases, which were not targeted by the treatment," Ngwa said. "This suggests that the immune system is also involved, and we are currently studying this mechanism."

The importance of this, says Ngwa, is that since pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, once it has spread and flavonoids seem to be able to kill other cancer cells, can mean the life expectancy of those affected. could increase.

"If the clinical translation succeeds, it will have a major impact on the treatment of pancreatic cancer," says Ngwa.

The next step for Harvard researchers is to complete the ongoing preclinical studies, which Ngwa hopes to complete by the end of 2020. This could pave the way for the testing of new treatment in humans, thus opening a new window of hope for a bright future. group needs it for a long time.

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