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Scientists at the University of Toledo studying improvements to a commonly used chemotherapy drug have discovered an entirely new class of anticancer agents that would prove promising for cell eradication cancer strains.
Their discoveries could prove to be a breakthrough not only in the treatment of tumors, but also in order to prevent the cancer from reappearing years later – reassuring patients that their disease is really part.
"Not all cancer cells are the same, even in the same tumor," said Dr. William Taylor, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UToledo College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. "There is a lot of variability and some of the cells, like the cancer stem cells, are a lot more nasty, everybody is trying to find a way to kill them, and maybe that's one way to do it. "
Taylor and Dr. L.M. Viranga Tillekeratne, Professor in the Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry at UToledo College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, presented their findings in a recent article published in the journal Scientific reports.
Cancer stem cells are a fascinating target for researchers because of their potential for reseeding tumors.
When the doctor removes a tumor surgically or the target with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, the cancer may seem to have disappeared. However, evidence suggests that a small subpopulation of adaptable cancer cells can remain and circulate throughout the body to seed new metastases in distant locations.
According to Taylor, these cancerous stem cells look like dandelions in a well-maintained lawn.
"You can cut the plant, but it will drop a seed, you know the seeds are there, but they are hiding," he said. "You're tearing off a weed and another is coming right after, and cancers can be like that too."
The small molecule that they have isolated seems to hang on these stem cells and kill them by blocking their absorption of an amino acid called cystine.
UToledo obtained a patent for this discovery last year.
For Tillekeratne and Taylor, the discovery of a new class of therapeutic molecules could make an even greater contribution to cancer research than the original project.
"At the moment, no drug can kill cancer stem cells, but people are looking for them," said Tillekeratne. "Many drugs are discovered by chance, sometimes in research, if you get unexpected results, you're happy because it opens a new avenue of research, it also shows the beauty of the collaboration." could not do it alone and [Taylor] would not have been able to do it alone. "
Tillekeratne received a $ 449,000 grant, spread over three years, from the National Cancer Institute's National Institutes of Health to continue testing the effectiveness of newly identified treatment.
Since the molecules target cancer stem cells so selectively, they may eventually be associated with other chemotherapy drugs to provide a more complete treatment.
However, the researchers found that their agents were promising in the treatment of sarcomas and a subtype of breast cancer called breast cancer without claudine, which accounts for up to 14% of all cancers of the breast. breast and can be particularly difficult to treat.
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