Malaria protein that can target cancer and deliver drugs straight to cancer cells

[kedong]

I dont usually post much on this forum but i think this new is pretty cool:

Source: http://globalnews.ca/news/2273934/ubc-researchers-use-malaria-protein-to-help-fight-cancer/

Actual scientific paper: http://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/abstract/S1535-6108%2815%2900334-7

A ground-breaking discovery made by researchers at the University of British Columbia could pave the way to better cancer treatments.

The research involves using a malaria protein to target cancer cells.

Initially, researchers were exploring why pregnant women are particularly susceptible to malaria. They found that the mosquito-borne parasite produces a protein that binds to a particular type of sugar molecule in the placenta.

The same sugar molecule is also found in most cancers, since both cancers and placentas grow rapidly.

The researchers realized that the sugar molecule could be a target for anti-cancer drugs.

In particular, a malaria protein labelled “VAR2CSA” could carry such drugs to tumours, in a precise and controlled way.

Researchers have already tried to attach a toxin to VAR2CSA and treat hundreds of normal and cancer cell lines. The drug compound specifically targeted and killed more than 95 per cent of the cancer cell lines.

The drug was then tested on mice implanted with three types of human tumours. Mice with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma had tumours that were were about a quarter the size of the tumours in the control group. The tumours of mice with prostate cancer completely disappeared in two of the six treated mice a month after receiving the first dose. With metastatic breast cancer, five out of six treated mice were cured from metastatic disease.

More importantly, the mice showed no adverse side-effects and their organs were unharmed.

Project leader Mads Daugaard says this is a departure from chemotherapy, the standard treatment for most types of cancer.

“This is a therapy where you bombard the whole body with toxin,” he says. “It is connected with severe side effects in most cases. What we have developed here as a potential new strategy is we can directly target the tumour cells without harming normal cells.”

Daugaard says it is ironic that a serious disease like malaria can be exploited by researchers to target another deadly condition.

Two companies are currently developing the compound for clinical trials in humans, which will take another three to four years to complete.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Science friggin rules To bad it takes so long for clinical human trials. I am sure there are more than a handful willing to take the risk given their circumstances.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

Cancer drug companies: "Buy them out. No Russian".

[-Stammer-]

Awesome!

[kedong]

Cancer drug companies: "Buy them out. No Russian".

That might be that case, but it doesn't mean that this will never hit the market. Drug companies want to develop the best possible treatment to cancer as possible, that's the nature of a competitive market. Before anyone mentions that drug companies are suppressing a "cure", there will never be a true "cure" to cancer, that's like trying to "cure" evolution. Best thing people can do is find a better and better treatment so we turn cancer into a condition that people die WITH rather than dying FROM.

[surtur]

Good stuff I hope it is successful and works for many different cancers I know several people that have had cancer and survived but also know many who died and it is encouraging to know they are making steps in the right direction.

Go science

[surtur]

That might be that case, but it doesn't mean that this will never hit the market. Drug companies want to develop the best possible treatment to cancer as possible, that's the nature of a competitive market. Before anyone mentions that drug companies are suppressing a "cure", there will never be a true "cure" to cancer, that's like trying to "cure" evolution. Best thing people can do is find a better and better treatment so we turn cancer into a condition that people die WITH rather than dying FROM.

maybe one day there not only will be a cure a a vaccine to prevent cancer. One day maybe we inject a bunch of nano robots that patrol our bodies starting from the day we are born till the day we die looking for and killing cancer cells as they develop and fixing other health issues like clogged arteries, kidney stones, liver issues. We just don't know how far science will go in the next hundred years. Could be far fetched but some of the stuff they have done in labs in recent times would get you burnt at the stake for witch craft not to long ago.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

That might be that case, but it doesn't mean that this will never hit the market. Drug companies want to develop the best possible treatment to cancer as possible, that's the nature of a competitive market. Before anyone mentions that drug companies are suppressing a "cure", there will never be a true "cure" to cancer, that's like trying to "cure" evolution. Best thing people can do is find a better and better treatment so we turn cancer into a condition that people die WITH rather than dying FROM.

Then maybe stop advertising it as a "cure"?

[Alflives]

Science friggin rules To bad it takes so long for clinical human trials. I am sure there are more than a handful willing to take the risk given their circumstances.

Yes to your post. We still need to develop better cancer fighting drugs, but this new delivery system is like an American smart bomb: wipe out the bad guys, with little collateral damage.

[DeNiro]

Amazing how drugs with horrible side effects (including death) can be passed by the FDA, but cancer drugs have to go through rigorous testing before they can even get to the trial phase.

Don't underestimate big pharma's ability to crush new treatments like this before they even get off the ground.

[kedong]

Then maybe stop advertising it as a "cure"?

The authors of the paper never once mentioned a cure in their paper. It's also the reason why I chose Global news' article because they didn't really mention a cure either. Many other news sites said this is some miracle cure from a malaria vaccine, that is the fault of the journalists not the scientists here.

Amazing how drugs with horrible side effects (including death) can be passed by the FDA, but cancer drugs have to go through rigorous testing before they can even get to the trial phase.

Don't underestimate big pharma's ability to crush new treatments like this before they even get off the ground.

Because the drugs can prolong the life of a person with a disease and that the side effects is acceptable given the benefits. All drugs go through the same rigorous FDA approval process. There is just a constant battle between the FDA and the companies about when the end point is. If the FDA does not like it, the FDA does not approve it.

[DeNiro]

Because the drugs can prolong the life of a person with a disease and that the side effects is acceptable given the benefits. All drugs go through the same rigorous FDA approval process. There is just a constant battle between the FDA and the companies about when the end point is. If the FDA does not like it, the FDA does not approve it.

Do you know how many Pfizer executives have been appointed to the FDA? Do you know how many anti depressants get approved despite horrible known side effects? Do you know how much big pharmaceutical lobbies the government to keep marijuana illegal?

And you still don't think there's corruption there?

[BanTSN]

It's hard to envision a future where disease is allowed by humans.

[surtur]

Do you know how many Pfizer executives have been appointed to the FDA? Do you know how many anti depressants get approved despite horrible known side effects? Do you know how much big pharmaceutical lobbies the government to keep marijuana illegal?

And you still don't think there's corruption there?

i always liked the side effects listed on my antidepressants when I was younger. " May cause suicidal thoughts"

[surtur]

It's hard to envision a future where disease is allowed by humans.

it's the world we live in humans historically don't really like each other Esp if they are different. Now toss money into the equation and not even grandma or the kids are safe. It's a cruel world we live in when material man made things have more value than human lives.

[kedong]

Do you know how many Pfizer executives have been appointed to the FDA? Do you know how many anti depressants get approved despite horrible known side effects? Do you know how much big pharmaceutical lobbies the government to keep marijuana illegal?

And you still don't think there's corruption there?

There is some corruption everywhere, but that is not a good reason to suspect everything wrong with one particular industry. I don't know much anti-depresents, but i'd imagine they get approved because they show benefits to people who take them, not everyone, but enough so that it is approved for public use. Drugs like anti depresents are still relatively new and the conditions they treat are extremely biologically complicated. Currently they are very crude, much like cancer treatment of 30 years ago, but it's at least a start.

Real dangers are those homeopathic and naturalpathic "practicioners" who are literally ripping sick people off by promoting some "anti-coporate" crap that does nothing. Worse of all, they blame the patients when it doesn't work.

[Hobble]

Just genetically engineer humans to express all those extra cancer killing proteins that elephants express.

Test it first in rats and chimps to make sure there are no adverse effects.

[surtur]

There is some corruption everywhere, but that is not a good reason to suspect everything wrong with one particular industry. I don't know much anti-depresents, but i'd imagine they get approved because they show benefits to people who take them, not everyone, but enough so that it is approved for public use. Drugs like anti depresents are still relatively new and the conditions they treat are extremely biologically complicated. Currently they are very crude, much like cancer treatment of 30 years ago, but it's at least a start.

Real dangers are those homeopathic and naturalpathic "practicioners" who are literally ripping sick people off by promoting some "anti-coporate" crap that does nothing. Worse of all, they blame the patients when it doesn't work.

for me a change in diet had a much better result on the depression than any of the pills they gave me. Plus you have to taper off of them because if you just stop then your depression goes into hyperdrive.

Depression can be caused by many different things so drugs don't always work.

But many other issues that get treated with drugs like attention disorders can also be linked to our dietary intake. This also went away for me after making some changes in my diet.

There are times where it seems drugs are the right choice but I hate that it is the go to for doctors before looking at what is actually causing the issue.

There are many medical issues that benefit from drugs immensely and without would cause us a lot of health issues. Even a minor infection from a sliver can get out of control if not treated with antibiotics.

If anything cancer is one of our biggest hurdles and if we can cure it or at the very least increase our chances of survival it will be a big leap forward.

Once cancer is figured out many others will follow.

[kedong]

for me a change in diet had a much better result on the depression than any of the pills they gave me. Plus you have to taper off of them because if you just stop then your depression goes into hyperdrive.

Depression can be caused by many different things so drugs don't always work.

But many other issues that get treated with drugs like attention disorders can also be linked to our dietary intake. This also went away for me after making some changes in my diet.

There are times where it seems drugs are the right choice but I hate that it is the go to for doctors before looking at what is actually causing the issue.

There are many medical issues that benefit from drugs immensely and without would cause us a lot of health issues. Even a minor infection from a sliver can get out of control if not treated with antibiotics.

If anything cancer is one of our biggest hurdles and if we can cure it or at the very least increase our chances of survival it will be a big leap forward.

Once cancer is figured out many others will follow.

I think this is right, drugs definitely have their benefits, but it's not the best solution for a problem. Psychological issues should be dealt with in a preventative manner and drugs should be used as like a last resort type of measure. I just don't like people screaming "corrupt corporate big pharma" crap as a legitimate reason to discredit drugs.

[RonMexico]

I think this is right, drugs definitely have their benefits, but it's not the best solution for a problem. Psychological issues should be dealt with in a preventative manner and drugs should be used as like a last resort type of measure. I just don't like people screaming "corrupt corporate big pharma" crap as a legitimate reason to discredit drugs.

It's also naive to not follow the money.