7 March 2011
Scientists at Queen's University, Belfast, have developed a new targeted gene therapy for the treatment of breast cancer.
Dubbed the 'magic pill', Dr Helen McCarthy and her team were able to package an iNOS gene into an artificial protein shell nanoparticle called a designer biomimetic vector (DBV).
The protein is able to be delivered to the cancer cells and the iNOS gene switches on production of nitric oxide (NO). At low levels, NO has a protective effect on organs, but at higher sustained amounts NO becomes toxic and can result in direct tissue damage. Dr McCarthy spent the last 10 years studying the powerful anti-cancer action of nitric oxide. 'We have shown huge anti-tumour effects but hadn't been able to get a targeting system', he said.
The unique delivery mechanism of the gene means healthy cells remain unaffected giving this treatment a distinct advantage over traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which can both affect healthy cells simultaneously.
The Belfast team is now working to develop a stable dry powder that can be reconstituted and injected into the patient. 'The idea is this will be delivered systemically around the body and be delivered to the other tumours', Dr McCarthy said. The university said further investigation of the system was needed, but that the treatment could be trialled in patients in five years.
Dr Lisa Wilde, of the Breast Cancer Campaign, said: 'Gene therapy could potentially be an exciting avenue for treating breast cancer. Although at an early stage, Dr McCarthy's laboratory research shows that this system for delivering toxic genes to tumour cells holds great promise and we look forward to seeing how it is translated into patients'.
This work was funded by the Breast Cancer Campaign and was published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
|
UK Press Associate
|
28 February 2011
|
|
International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics
|
03/11
|
|
BBC News Northern Ireland
|
03/11
|
|
Irish Times
|
28 February 2011
|
RELATED ARTICLES FROM THE BIONEWS ARCHIVE
|
31 January 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
Two breast cancer drugs, Avastin and Sutent, may inadvertently aid cancer growth, a study in mice suggests. The drugs, designed to reduce the blood supply to tumours, were found to encourage cancer stem cell growth, potentially fuelling the spread of the cancer... |
|
20 June 2011 - by Dr Rebecca Hill |
Scientists have discovered a way to bypass the type of mutation that causes about a third of human genetic diseases. Experiments in yeast have shown how chemical modifications can allow a cell's machinery to ignore mistakes in DNA known as nonsense mutations... |
|
16 May 2011 - by Dr Kimberley Bryon-Dodd |
Screening for breast and prostate cancer based on genetic risk factors as well as age could reduce the number of people screened without a significant reduction in the number of cancers detected, a new study suggests.... |
|
16 May 2011 - by Dr Jay Stone |
US scientists have designed a genetic test which could predict how a patient with breast cancer responds to chemotherapy. Researchers say the test, which works for those with certain newly diagnosed forms of cancer, could help women avoid unnecessary chemotherapy.... |
|
3 May 2011 - by Mehmet Fidanboylu |
Two US studies have demonstrated how whole-genome screening can help improve cancer treatment and diagnosis. The researchers claim to have taken a major step towards using this type of screening to help predict patients' responses to different treatments based on their genetics... |
|
9 August 2010 - by Sarah Pritchard |
A UK study has revealed that breast cancer patients who have the POLQ gene are eight times more likely to suffer from recurrence after treatment compared to patients who do not carry the gene.... |
|
7 June 2010 - by Dr Tamara Hirsch |
Women who inherit genes linked to breast cancer have no greater risk than other women of developing the disease as a result of lifestyle choices, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and alcohol consumption, according to a recent study in The Lancet.... |
|
5 June 2010 - by Dr Lux Fatimathas |
Cancer patients in the UK are to be treated with drugs specific to the genetic make-up of their individual tumours. A new initiative, to be launched by the NHS this autumn, will test the tumours of up to 6000 cancer patients a year for known genetic mutations.... |
|
29 January 2010 - by Dr Charlotte Maden |
Researchers in the US have found that they can predict how well breast cancer patients respond to a type of chemotherapy based on certain genes. The findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, highlight the potential for personalised cancer therapies in the near future.... |
|
4 September 2006 - by Dr Jess Buxton |
By Dr Jess Buxton: US scientists have reported the first successful use of gene therapy to treat cancer. Two men with advanced melanoma are now free of the disease, after taking part in a trial based at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. The new technique involves injecting patients... |