research news
August 26, 2016
Researchers have created a new drug delivery
system that could improve the effectiveness of an emerging concept in
cancer treatment - to dramatically slow and control tumors on a
long-term, sustained basis, not necessarily aiming for their complete
elimination.
The approach, called a "
metronomic dosage regimen," uses significantly lower doses of
chemotherapeutic drugs but at more frequent time intervals. This would have multiple goals of killing
cancer cells, creating a hostile biological environment for their growth, reducing toxicity from the
drug regimen and avoiding the development of resistance to the
cancer drugs being used.
A system just published in
Chemistry of Materials by a group
of researchers from Oregon and the United Kingdom offers an even more
effective way to deliver such drugs and may be able to greatly improve
this approach, scientists say.
Further testing is needed in both animals
and humans for safety and efficacy.
"This new system takes some existing
cancer therapy drugs for
ovarian cancer,
delivers both of them at the same time and allows them to work
synergistically," said Adam Alani, an associate professor in the Oregon
State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of
Pharmacy, and lead author on the new study.
"Imagine if we could manage cancer on a long-term basis as a chronic
condition, like we now do high blood pressure or diabetes. This could be
a huge leap forward."
This approach is still in trial stages, Alani said, but shows
promise. In some prior work with related systems in animal tests, OSU
and collaborating researchers have been able to completely eradicate
tumors.....
More information:
Deepa A. Rao et al,
Combinatorial Polymeric Conjugated Micelles with Dual Cytotoxic and
Antiangiogenic
Effects for the Treatment of Ovarian Cancer,
Chemistry of Materials (2016).
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.6b01280
