A ‘Trojan horse’ drug has been developed by scientists to trick and destroy cancer cells.
This new method involves binding a chemotherapy treatment to fat, which tumors use in order to grow.
The fat then gets consumed by malignant cells with the cancer-destroying therapy in tow. Once it is inside a tumor, the drug will activate and kill the cancerous cells.
Scientists tested the approach using the chemo drug paclitaxel. The new method ‘completely eliminated’ pancreatic, colon and bone cancer in mice.
The research was done by Northwestern University and led by Dr. Nathan Gianneschi. He said: “It’s like a Trojan horse. It looks like a nice little fatty acid, so the tumor’s receptors see it and invite it in.
“Then the drug starts getting metabolised and kills the tumour cells.”
According to Cancer Research UK statistics, one in two people born after 1960 develop cancer at some point in their lives.
In the US, over 1.7 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year and more than 609,000 patients passed away.
The go-to treatment for many types of cancer is chemotherapy. Its effectiveness depends on the tumor, its stage and the patient’s overall health.
Chemo targets fast-growing cells, even those that are healthy. Damages healthy cells result in side effects like vomiting, infections and hair loss.
Scientists engineered a lipid that attaches to drugs to determine if chemo can be given more successfully.
“It’s like the fatty acid has a hand on both ends,” said Professor Gianneschi. “One can grab onto the drug and one can grab onto proteins.”
“The idea is to disguise drugs as fats so they get into cells and the body is happy to transport them around.”
Professor Gianneschi added: “Commonly used small-molecule drugs get into tumors – and other cells. They are toxic to tumours but also to humans. Hence, in general, these drugs have horrible side effects.
“Our goal is to increase the amount that gets into a tumour versus into other cells and tissues. That allows us to dose at much higher quantities without side effects, which kills the tumors faster.”
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