New Advances in Chemotherapy: 'The Proof May be in the Sugar' Says Researchers
December 18 2003 - 5:19AM
PR Newswire (US)
New Advances in Chemotherapy: 'The Proof May be in the Sugar' Says
Researchers NEWTON, Mass., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Three
years ago, Dr. Melanie Bone, 43, a gynecologist was fighting for
her life. She had been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer,
which required aggressive treatment. She underwent a bilateral
mastectomy, then endured six months of chemotherapy and 33
radiation treatments before finally being declared cancer free.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG14 )
Chemotherapy drugs are very effective, but since they are
indiscriminate -- meaning they target both cancer and healthy cells
-- they can be toxic. Pro-Pharmaceuticals, a drug development
company in Newton, Mass., is conducting human trials right now on a
new drug that targets cancer cells and leaves healthy cells alone.
It's called DAVANAT-1. "It's a sugar-based compound we believe can
increase the human body's tolerance to highly toxic chemotherapy
drugs," says Dr. David Platt, CEO of Pro-Pharmaceuticals. While
undergoing treatment, Dr. Bone became anemic, lost all her hair and
her ability to taste and smell. "The sores and ulcers that formed
in my mouth made drinking and eating very uncomfortable. At one
point, my white blood count got so low, I had to actually move out
of my house. I have four kids and my doctor was concerned they'd
bring home a bug I couldn't fight off. Chemotherapy is what
ultimately cured me of cancer, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst
enemy. I was sick all the time." says Dr. Bone. DAVANAT-1 is a
combination of the highly effective chemotherapy drug 5-FU and
DAVANAT, a carbohydrate compound named after Dr. Platt and Dr.
Anatole Klyosov, the two scientists who developed it. "It is a
sugar that looks for specific receptors found only on the outside
walls of cancer cells. This particular carbohydrate is attracted to
the lectin Galactin 3," says Dr. Platt. DAVANAT encapsulates the
anti-cancer drug prior to binding to the over-expressed lectin
receptors and guides them to the nucleus of the cancer cells. When
inside the cancer cell, the anti-cancer drug cleaves from DAVANAT
and destroys the cancer cell. By encompassing the anti-cancer drug,
DAVANAT, prevents the drug from being absorbed by normal healthy
cells thereby reducing the anti-cancer drug's overall toxic effects
on the body. In preclinical trials on mice, 400 percent greater
levels of the cancer drug, 5-FU, effectively targeted tumors in
mice injected with Davanat-1. Since the healthy cells were left
alone, side effects -- such as nausea, hair loss, and fatigue were
minimal. All of the patients invited to participate are considered
refractory patients -- meaning this is their last hope. They are in
advanced stages of cancer and conventional treatments -- radiation,
surgery and chemotherapy alone --have failed them. "The treatment
sounds very promising," says Dr. Bone. "I'm looking forward to
seeing the results of the human trials." Once the results of the
Phase l human trials are reported to the Food and Drug
Administration, the FDA will decide whether DAVANAT-1 should be
added to the arsenal of cancer fighting drugs. For more details
about the study, log onto http://www.pro-pharmaceuticals.com/
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031218/NYFNSG14
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Pro-Pharmaceuticals
CONTACT: Janet Vasquez, +1-212-825-3210, for Pro-Pharmaceuticals
Web site: http://www.pro-pharmaceuticals.com/
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