Human brain tumour cells killed with drugs in mice
LONDON: Scientists have for the first time been able to completely erase human brain tumour cells in mice.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in the US have discovered that weeks of treatment with a FDA-approved drug halted the growth of and ultimately left no detectable trace of brain tumour cells taken from adult human patients and regrown in mice.
The type of tumour targeted by the researchers eventually progresses to a subtype of glioblastoma multiform — the deadliest form of brain cancer — known to be highly progressive. They arise as a lower-grade Glioma and are initially treated with surgery alone, but eventually they progress to the more lethal form of tumour. Survival is longer than with glioblastoma, but it is found in younger patients, those under the age of 50.
The scientists targeted a mutation in the IDH1 gene first identified in human brain tumours called Gliomas by a team of Johns Hopkins cancer researchers in 2008. This mutation was found in around 80% of progressive forms of brain cancer.
"Usually in the lab, we're happy to see a drug slow down tumour growth. We never expect tumours to regress, but that is exactly what happened here. This therapy has worked amazingly well in these mice. We want to start discussing the parameters of a clinical trial to see if this will work in our human patients," said study leader Gregory Riggins, a professor of neurosurgery and oncology at Johns Hopkins.
The IDH1 gene produces an enzyme that regulates cell metabolism.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine in the US have discovered that weeks of treatment with a FDA-approved drug halted the growth of and ultimately left no detectable trace of brain tumour cells taken from adult human patients and regrown in mice.
The type of tumour targeted by the researchers eventually progresses to a subtype of glioblastoma multiform — the deadliest form of brain cancer — known to be highly progressive. They arise as a lower-grade Glioma and are initially treated with surgery alone, but eventually they progress to the more lethal form of tumour. Survival is longer than with glioblastoma, but it is found in younger patients, those under the age of 50.
The scientists targeted a mutation in the IDH1 gene first identified in human brain tumours called Gliomas by a team of Johns Hopkins cancer researchers in 2008. This mutation was found in around 80% of progressive forms of brain cancer.
"Usually in the lab, we're happy to see a drug slow down tumour growth. We never expect tumours to regress, but that is exactly what happened here. This therapy has worked amazingly well in these mice. We want to start discussing the parameters of a clinical trial to see if this will work in our human patients," said study leader Gregory Riggins, a professor of neurosurgery and oncology at Johns Hopkins.
The IDH1 gene produces an enzyme that regulates cell metabolism.
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