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Sample records for biology-driven cancer drug

  1. Cancer in silico drug discovery: a systems biology tool for identifying candidate drugs to target specific molecular tumor subtypes.

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    San Lucas, F Anthony; Fowler, Jerry; Chang, Kyle; Kopetz, Scott; Vilar, Eduardo; Scheet, Paul

    2014-12-01

    Large-scale cancer datasets such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) allow researchers to profile tumors based on a wide range of clinical and molecular characteristics. Subsequently, TCGA-derived gene expression profiles can be analyzed with the Connectivity Map (CMap) to find candidate drugs to target tumors with specific clinical phenotypes or molecular characteristics. This represents a powerful computational approach for candidate drug identification, but due to the complexity of TCGA and technology differences between CMap and TCGA experiments, such analyses are challenging to conduct and reproduce. We present Cancer in silico Drug Discovery (CiDD; scheet.org/software), a computational drug discovery platform that addresses these challenges. CiDD integrates data from TCGA, CMap, and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) to perform computational drug discovery experiments, generating hypotheses for the following three general problems: (i) determining whether specific clinical phenotypes or molecular characteristics are associated with unique gene expression signatures; (ii) finding candidate drugs to repress these expression signatures; and (iii) identifying cell lines that resemble the tumors being studied for subsequent in vitro experiments. The primary input to CiDD is a clinical or molecular characteristic. The output is a biologically annotated list of candidate drugs and a list of cell lines for in vitro experimentation. We applied CiDD to identify candidate drugs to treat colorectal cancers harboring mutations in BRAF. CiDD identified EGFR and proteasome inhibitors, while proposing five cell lines for in vitro testing. CiDD facilitates phenotype-driven, systematic drug discovery based on clinical and molecular data from TCGA. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  2. Antibody-drug conjugates for cancer therapy: The technological and regulatory challenges of developing drug-biologic hybrids.

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    Hamilton, Gregory S

    2015-09-01

    Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a new class of therapeutic agents that combine the targeting ability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with small molecule drugs. The combination of a mAb targeting a cancer-specific antigen with a cytotoxin has tremendous promise as a new type of targeted cancer therapy. Two ADCs have been approved and many more are in clinical development, suggesting that this new class of drugs is coming to the forefront. Because of their unique nature as biologic-small drug hybrids, ADCs are challenging to develop, from both the scientific and regulatory perspectives. This review discusses both these aspects in current practice, and surveys the current state of the art of ADC drug development. Copyright © 2015 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Precision medicine driven by cancer systems biology.

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    Filipp, Fabian V

    2017-03-01

    Molecular insights from genome and systems biology are influencing how cancer is diagnosed and treated. We critically evaluate big data challenges in precision medicine. The melanoma research community has identified distinct subtypes involving chronic sun-induced damage and the mitogen-activated protein kinase driver pathway. In addition, despite low mutation burden, non-genomic mitogen-activated protein kinase melanoma drivers are found in membrane receptors, metabolism, or epigenetic signaling with the ability to bypass central mitogen-activated protein kinase molecules and activating a similar program of mitogenic effectors. Mutation hotspots, structural modeling, UV signature, and genomic as well as non-genomic mechanisms of disease initiation and progression are taken into consideration to identify resistance mutations and novel drug targets. A comprehensive precision medicine profile of a malignant melanoma patient illustrates future rational drug targeting strategies. Network analysis emphasizes an important role of epigenetic and metabolic master regulators in oncogenesis. Co-occurrence of driver mutations in signaling, metabolic, and epigenetic factors highlights how cumulative alterations of our genomes and epigenomes progressively lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation. Precision insights have the ability to identify independent molecular pathways suitable for drug targeting. Synergistic treatment combinations of orthogonal modalities including immunotherapy, mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, epigenetic inhibitors, and metabolic inhibitors have the potential to overcome immune evasion, side effects, and drug resistance.

  4. Drug-perturbation-based stratification of blood cancer

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    Dietrich, Sascha; Lu, Junyan; Wu, Bian; Hüllein, Jennifer; da Silva Liberio, Michelle; Walther, Tatjana; Wagner, Lena; Rabe, Sophie; Ghidelli-Disse, Sonja; Bantscheff, Marcus; Słabicki, Mikołaj; Mock, Andreas; Oakes, Christopher C.; Wang, Shihui; Oppermann, Sina; Lukas, Marina; Kim, Vladislav; Sill, Martin; Jauch, Anna; Sutton, Lesley Ann; Rosenquist, Richard; Liu, Xiyang; Jethwa, Alexander; Lee, Kwang Seok; Lewis, Joe; Putzker, Kerstin; Lutz, Christoph; Rossi, Davide; Oellerich, Thomas; Herling, Marco; Nguyen-Khac, Florence; Plass, Christoph; von Kalle, Christof; Ho, Anthony D.; Hensel, Manfred; Dürig, Jan; Ringshausen, Ingo; Huber, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    As new generations of targeted therapies emerge and tumor genome sequencing discovers increasingly comprehensive mutation repertoires, the functional relationships of mutations to tumor phenotypes remain largely unknown. Here, we measured ex vivo sensitivity of 246 blood cancers to 63 drugs alongside genome, transcriptome, and DNA methylome analysis to understand determinants of drug response. We assembled a primary blood cancer cell encyclopedia data set that revealed disease-specific sensitivities for each cancer. Within chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), responses to 62% of drugs were associated with 2 or more mutations, and linked the B cell receptor (BCR) pathway to trisomy 12, an important driver of CLL. Based on drug responses, the disease could be organized into phenotypic subgroups characterized by exploitable dependencies on BCR, mTOR, or MEK signaling and associated with mutations, gene expression, and DNA methylation. Fourteen percent of CLLs were driven by mTOR signaling in a non–BCR-dependent manner. Multivariate modeling revealed immunoglobulin heavy chain variable gene (IGHV) mutation status and trisomy 12 as the most important modulators of response to kinase inhibitors in CLL. Ex vivo drug responses were associated with outcome. This study overcomes the perception that most mutations do not influence drug response of cancer, and points to an updated approach to understanding tumor biology, with implications for biomarker discovery and cancer care. PMID:29227286

  5. Biosimilar Drugs for Cancer Emerge

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    As the patents on widely used biological drugs to treat cancer expire, biosimilar drugs are being developed for the treatment of patients with cancer. You can learn how biosimilars may expand treatment options in this Cancer Currents blog post.

  6. Exosomes in Cancer Development, Metastasis and Drug Resistance: A Comprehensive Review

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    Azmi, Asfar S.; Bao, Bin; Sarkar, Fazlul H.

    2013-01-01

    Trafficking of biological material across membranes is an evolutionary conserved mechanism and is part of any normal cell homeostasis. Such transport is comprised of active, passive, export through microparticles and vesicular transport (exosomes) that collectively maintain proper compartmentalization of important micro and macromolecules. In pathological states, such as cancer, aberrant activity of export machinery results in expulsion of a number of key proteins and microRNAs resulting in their misexpression. Exosome mediated expulsion of intracellular drugs could be another barrier in the proper action of most of the commonly used therapeutics, targeted agents and their intracellular metabolites. Over the last decade, a number of studies have revealed that exosomes cross-talk and/or influence major tumor related pathways such as hypoxia driven EMT, cancer stemness, angiogenesis and metastasis involving many cell types within the tumor microenvironment. Emerging evidence suggest that exosome secreted proteins can also propel fibroblast growth, resulting in Desmoplastic reaction (DR); a major barrier in effective cancer drug delivery. This comprehensive review highlights the advancements in the understanding of the biology of exosomes secretions and the consequence on cancer drug resistance. We propose that the successful combination of cancer treatments to tackle exosome mediated drug resistance requires an interdisciplinary understanding of these cellular exclusion mechanisms, and how secreted biomolecules are involved in cellular cross-talk within the tumor microenvironment. PMID:23709120

  7. Ethnobotany and ethnopharmacy--their role for anti-cancer drug development.

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    Heinrich, Michael; Bremner, Paul

    2006-03-01

    Local and traditional knowledge has been the starting point for many successful drug development projects over the last decades. Here we discuss some examples of anti-cancer drugs which have had enormous impact as anti-cancer agents (camptothecan, taxol and derivatives) and a few examples of drugs currently under various stages of preclinical development. Ethnobotanists investigate the relationship between humans and plants in all its complexity, and such research is generally based on a detailed observation and study of the use a society makes of plants. The requirements of modern research on natural products as, for example, outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio Convention) and the overall approach in ethnobotanical research are also discussed. Selected phytochemical-pharmacological studies based on traditional plant use are used to highlight the potential of ethnobotany driven anti-cancer research. The link between traditionally used plants and targets of the NF-kappaB pathway is discussed using on an EU-funded, multidisciplinary project as an example. Lastly the potential of chemopreventive agents derived from traditional food plants is briefly addressed.

  8. Chemical biology drug sensitivity screen identifies sunitinib as synergistic agent with disulfiram in prostate cancer cells.

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    Kirsi Ketola

    Full Text Available Current treatment options for castration- and treatment-resistant prostate cancer are limited and novel approaches are desperately needed. Our recent results from a systematic chemical biology sensitivity screen covering most known drugs and drug-like molecules indicated that aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitor disulfiram is one of the most potent cancer-specific inhibitors of prostate cancer cell growth, including TMPRSS2-ERG fusion positive cancers. However, the results revealed that disulfiram alone does not block tumor growth in vivo nor induce apoptosis in vitro, indicating that combinatorial approaches may be required to enhance the anti-neoplastic effects.In this study, we utilized a chemical biology drug sensitivity screen to explore disulfiram mechanistic details and to identify compounds potentiating the effect of disulfiram in TMPRSS2-ERG fusion positive prostate cancer cells. In total, 3357 compounds including current chemotherapeutic agents as well as drug-like small molecular compounds were screened alone and in combination with disulfiram. Interestingly, the results indicated that androgenic and antioxidative compounds antagonized disulfiram effect whereas inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinase, proteasome, topoisomerase II, glucosylceramide synthase or cell cycle were among compounds sensitizing prostate cancer cells to disulfiram. The combination of disulfiram and an antiangiogenic agent sunitinib was studied in more detail, since both are already in clinical use in humans. Disulfiram-sunitinib combination induced apoptosis and reduced androgen receptor protein expression more than either of the compounds alone. Moreover, combinatorial exposure reduced metastatic characteristics such as cell migration and 3D cell invasion as well as induced epithelial differentiation shown as elevated E-cadherin expression.Taken together, our results propose novel combinatorial approaches to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth. Disulfiram

  9. How can attrition rates be reduced in cancer drug discovery?

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    Moreno, Lucas; Pearson, Andrew D J

    2013-04-01

    Attrition is a major issue in anticancer drug development with up to 95% of drugs tested in Phase I trials not reaching a marketing authorisation making the drug development process enormously costly and inefficient. It is essential that this problem is addressed throughout the whole drug development process to improve efficiency which will ultimately result in increased patient benefit with more profitable drugs. The approach to reduce cancer drug attrition rates must be based on three pillars. The first of these is that there is a need for new pre-clinical models which can act as better predictors of success in clinical trials. Furthermore, clinical trials driven by tumour biology with the incorporation of predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers would be beneficial in drug development. Finally, there is a need for increased collaboration to combine the unique strengths between industry, academia and regulators to ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are met.

  10. PhytoNanotechnology: Enhancing Delivery of Plant Based Anti-cancer Drugs

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    Tabassum Khan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Natural resources continue to be an invaluable source of new, novel chemical entities of therapeutic utility due to the vast structural diversity observed in them. The quest for new and better drugs has witnessed an upsurge in exploring and harnessing nature especially for discovery of antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer agents. Nature has historically provide us with potent anticancer agents which include vinca alkaloids [vincristine (VCR, vinblastine, vindesine, vinorelbine], taxanes [paclitaxel (PTX, docetaxel], podophyllotoxin and its derivatives [etoposide (ETP, teniposide], camptothecin (CPT and its derivatives (topotecan, irinotecan, anthracyclines (doxorubicin, daunorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, and others. In fact, half of all the anti-cancer drugs approved internationally are either natural products or their derivatives and were developed on the basis of knowledge gained from small molecules or macromolecules that exist in nature. Three new anti-cancer drugs introduced in 2007, viz. trabectedin, epothilone derivative ixabepilone, and temsirolimus were obtained from microbial sources. Selective drug targeting is the need of the current therapeutic regimens for increased activity on cancer cells and reduced toxicity to normal cells. Nanotechnology driven modified drugs and drug delivery systems are being developed and introduced in the market for better cancer treatment and management with good results. The use of nanoparticulate drug carriers can resolve many challenges in drug delivery to the cancer cells that includes: improving drug solubility and stability, extending drug half-lives in the blood, reducing adverse effects in non-target organs, and concentrating drugs at the disease site. This review discusses the scientific ventures and explorations involving application of nanotechnology to some selected plant derived molecules. It presents a comprehensive review of formulation strategies of phytoconstituents in

  11. Cancer: a profit-driven biosystem?

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    Deisboeck, Thomas S

    2008-08-01

    The argument is made that solid malignant tumors behave as profit-driven biological systems in that they expand their nutrient-uptaking surface to increase energetic revenue, at a comparably low metabolic cost. Within this conceptual framework, cancer cell migration is a critical mechanism as it maximizes systemic surface expansion while minimizing diffusion distance. Treating these tumor systems with adjuvant anti-proliferative regimen only should increase the energetic net gain of the viable cancer cells left behind, hence would facilitate tumor recurrence. Therapeutic attempts to better control tumor (re)growth should therefore aim primarily at containing its surface expansion, thus reducing its energetic revenue, or increasing its metabolic costs or better yet, both.

  12. Context Sensitive Modeling of Cancer Drug Sensitivity.

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    Bo-Juen Chen

    Full Text Available Recent screening of drug sensitivity in large panels of cancer cell lines provides a valuable resource towards developing algorithms that predict drug response. Since more samples provide increased statistical power, most approaches to prediction of drug sensitivity pool multiple cancer types together without distinction. However, pan-cancer results can be misleading due to the confounding effects of tissues or cancer subtypes. On the other hand, independent analysis for each cancer-type is hampered by small sample size. To balance this trade-off, we present CHER (Contextual Heterogeneity Enabled Regression, an algorithm that builds predictive models for drug sensitivity by selecting predictive genomic features and deciding which ones should-and should not-be shared across different cancers, tissues and drugs. CHER provides significantly more accurate models of drug sensitivity than comparable elastic-net-based models. Moreover, CHER provides better insight into the underlying biological processes by finding a sparse set of shared and type-specific genomic features.

  13. Cancer nanomedicine: a review of recent success in drug delivery.

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    Tran, Stephanie; DeGiovanni, Peter-Joseph; Piel, Brandon; Rai, Prakash

    2017-12-11

    Cancer continues to be one of the most difficult global healthcare problems. Although there is a large library of drugs that can be used in cancer treatment, the problem is selectively killing all the cancer cells while reducing collateral toxicity to healthy cells. There are several biological barriers to effective drug delivery in cancer such as renal, hepatic, or immune clearance. Nanoparticles loaded with drugs can be designed to overcome these biological barriers to improve efficacy while reducing morbidity. Nanomedicine has ushered in a new era for drug delivery by improving the therapeutic indices of the active pharmaceutical ingredients engineered within nanoparticles. First generation nanomedicines have received widespread clinical approval over the past two decades, from Doxil ® (liposomal doxorubicin) in 1995 to Onivyde ® (liposomal irinotecan) in 2015. This review highlights the biological barriers to effective drug delivery in cancer, emphasizing the need for nanoparticles for improving therapeutic outcomes. A summary of different nanoparticles used for drug delivery applications in cancer are presented. The review summarizes recent successes in cancer nanomedicine in the clinic. The clinical trials of Onivyde leading to its approval in 2015 by the Food and Drug Adminstration are highlighted as a case study in the recent clinical success of nanomedicine against cancer. Next generation nanomedicines need to be better targeted to specifically destroy cancerous tissue, but face several obstacles in their clinical development, including identification of appropriate biomarkers to target, scale-up of synthesis, and reproducible characterization. These hurdles need to be overcome through multidisciplinary collaborations across academia, pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies in order to achieve the goal of eradicating cancer. This review discusses the current use of clinically approved nanomedicines, the investigation of nanomedicines in clinical

  14. Data Mining Approaches for Genomic Biomarker Development: Applications Using Drug Screening Data from the Cancer Genome Project and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia.

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    David G Covell

    Full Text Available Developing reliable biomarkers of tumor cell drug sensitivity and resistance can guide hypothesis-driven basic science research and influence pre-therapy clinical decisions. A popular strategy for developing biomarkers uses characterizations of human tumor samples against a range of cancer drug responses that correlate with genomic change; developed largely from the efforts of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE and Sanger Cancer Genome Project (CGP. The purpose of this study is to provide an independent analysis of this data that aims to vet existing and add novel perspectives to biomarker discoveries and applications. Existing and alternative data mining and statistical methods will be used to a evaluate drug responses of compounds with similar mechanism of action (MOA, b examine measures of gene expression (GE, copy number (CN and mutation status (MUT biomarkers, combined with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA, for hypothesizing biological processes important for drug response, c conduct global comparisons of GE, CN and MUT as biomarkers across all drugs screened in the CGP dataset, and d assess the positive predictive power of CGP-derived GE biomarkers as predictors of drug response in CCLE tumor cells. The perspectives derived from individual and global examinations of GEs, MUTs and CNs confirm existing and reveal unique and shared roles for these biomarkers in tumor cell drug sensitivity and resistance. Applications of CGP-derived genomic biomarkers to predict the drug response of CCLE tumor cells finds a highly significant ROC, with a positive predictive power of 0.78. The results of this study expand the available data mining and analysis methods for genomic biomarker development and provide additional support for using biomarkers to guide hypothesis-driven basic science research and pre-therapy clinical decisions.

  15. Implementing Genome-Driven Oncology

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    Hyman, David M.; Taylor, Barry S.; Baselga, José

    2017-01-01

    Early successes in identifying and targeting individual oncogenic drivers, together with the increasing feasibility of sequencing tumor genomes, have brought forth the promise of genome-driven oncology care. As we expand the breadth and depth of genomic analyses, the biological and clinical complexity of its implementation will be unparalleled. Challenges include target credentialing and validation, implementing drug combinations, clinical trial designs, targeting tumor heterogeneity, and deploying technologies beyond DNA sequencing, among others. We review how contemporary approaches are tackling these challenges and will ultimately serve as an engine for biological discovery and increase our insight into cancer and its treatment. PMID:28187282

  16. [Current topics on cancer biology and research strategies for anti-cancer traditional Chinese medicine].

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    Chen, Xiu-ping; Tang, Zheng-hai; Shi, Zhe; Lu, Jin-jian; Su, Huan-xing; Chen, Xin; Wang, Yi-tao

    2015-09-01

    Cancer, an abnormal cell proliferation resulted from multi-factors,has the highest morbidity and mortality among all the serious diseases. Considerable progress has been made in cancer biology in recent years. Tumor immunology, cancer stem cells (CSCs), autophagy, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have become hot topics of interests in this area. Detailed dissection of these biological processes will provide novel directions, targets, and strategies for the pharmacological evaluation, mechanism elucidation, and new drug development of traditional Chinese medicine.

  17. Lysosomes as mediators of drug resistance in cancer.

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    Zhitomirsky, Benny; Assaraf, Yehuda G

    2016-01-01

    Drug resistance remains a leading cause of chemotherapeutic treatment failure and cancer-related mortality. While some mechanisms of anticancer drug resistance have been well characterized, multiple mechanisms remain elusive. In this respect, passive ion trapping-based lysosomal sequestration of multiple hydrophobic weak-base chemotherapeutic agents was found to reduce the accessibility of these drugs to their target sites, resulting in a markedly reduced cytotoxic effect and drug resistance. Recently we have demonstrated that lysosomal sequestration of hydrophobic weak base drugs triggers TFEB-mediated lysosomal biogenesis resulting in an enlarged lysosomal compartment, capable of enhanced drug sequestration. This study further showed that cancer cells with an increased number of drug-accumulating lysosomes are more resistant to lysosome-sequestered drugs, suggesting a model of drug-induced lysosome-mediated chemoresistance. In addition to passive drug sequestration of hydrophobic weak base chemotherapeutics, other mechanisms of lysosome-mediated drug resistance have also been reported; these include active lysosomal drug sequestration mediated by ATP-driven transporters from the ABC superfamily, and a role for lysosomal copper transporters in cancer resistance to platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Furthermore, lysosomal exocytosis was suggested as a mechanism to facilitate the clearance of chemotherapeutics which highly accumulated in lysosomes, thus providing an additional line of resistance, supplementing the organelle entrapment of chemotherapeutics away from their target sites. Along with these mechanisms of lysosome-mediated drug resistance, several approaches were recently developed for the overcoming of drug resistance or exploiting lysosomal drug sequestration, including lysosomal photodestruction and drug-induced lysosomal membrane permeabilization. In this review we explore the current literature addressing the role of lysosomes in mediating cancer drug

  18. Progranulin and its biological effects in cancer.

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    Arechavaleta-Velasco, Fabian; Perez-Juarez, Carlos Eduardo; Gerton, George L; Diaz-Cueto, Laura

    2017-11-07

    Cancer cells have defects in regulatory mechanisms that usually control cell proliferation and homeostasis. Different cancer cells share crucial alterations in cell physiology, which lead to malignant growth. Tumorigenesis or tumor growth requires a series of events that include constant cell proliferation, promotion of metastasis and invasion, stimulation of angiogenesis, evasion of tumor suppressor factors, and avoidance of cell death pathways. All these events in tumor progression may be regulated by growth factors produced by normal or malignant cells. The growth factor progranulin has significant biological effects in different types of cancer. This protein is a regulator of tumorigenesis because it stimulates cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, malignant transformation, resistance to anticancer drugs, and immune evasion. This review focuses on the biological effects of progranulin in several cancer models and provides evidence that this growth factor should be considered as a potential biomarker and target in cancer treatment.

  19. Targeting the latest hallmark of cancer: another attempt at 'magic bullet' drugs targeting cancers' metabolic phenotype.

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    Cuperlovic-Culf, M; Culf, A S; Touaibia, M; Lefort, N

    2012-10-01

    The metabolism of tumors is remarkably different from the metabolism of corresponding normal cells and tissues. Metabolic alterations are initiated by oncogenes and are required for malignant transformation, allowing cancer cells to resist some cell death signals while producing energy and fulfilling their biosynthetic needs with limiting resources. The distinct metabolic phenotype of cancers provides an interesting avenue for treatment, potentially with minimal side effects. As many cancers show similar metabolic characteristics, drugs targeting the cancer metabolic phenotype are, perhaps optimistically, expected to be 'magic bullet' treatments. Over the last few years there have been a number of potential drugs developed to specifically target cancer metabolism. Several of these drugs are currently in clinical and preclinical trials. This review outlines examples of drugs developed for different targets of significance to cancer metabolism, with a focus on small molecule leads, chemical biology and clinical results for these drugs.

  20. Striking balance between expedited review and expecting efficacious anticancer drug and biologics: An ongoing challenge

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    Krishnan Vengadaragava Chary

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the postmarketing status: Efficacy and safety drugs and biologics related with cancer approved under expedited review. Methods: This observational, analytical study was carried between January and April 2016 by the Department of Pharmacology and Medical Oncology, Saveetha Medical College. Drugs approved under expedited review, fast-track status and its association with anti-cancer effects, postmarketing efficacy and safety, propensity to induce the second tumor was noted. Drug approval status and average time of review process were obtained from the United States-Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Center for Drugs and Biologics Center (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Postmarketing adverse events and safety issues were collected FDA adverse effects reporting system. Further, evidence efficacy and safety of drugs were taken from various meta-analysis, reports on BioMed journals, and Cochrane systematic reviews. Results: In the last 5 years, 166 products were approved by expedited review. Out of 166, 48 (28.9% drugs/biologics are anticancer drugs and drugs used in precancerous conditions. The average time of review varies from19 months to 8.2 months. Out of these 48 molecules, 37 (77% molecules received serious adverse event alert. Positive correlation is seen between average time of review and number of adverse events reported. Seven (14.5% drugs were proven to induce second tumor among receivers. Conclusion: Although expedited review facilitates faster approval of drugs; selection and assessment criteria should be stringent to prevent clinical failure, serious adverse effects of such drugs exposed to many individuals. Focus should be given developing chemosensitizing molecule and evaluation of metronomic regimen which is being more optimistic in current cancer therapeutics.

  1. Systematic synergy modeling: understanding drug synergy from a systems biology perspective.

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    Chen, Di; Liu, Xi; Yang, Yiping; Yang, Hongjun; Lu, Peng

    2015-09-16

    Owing to drug synergy effects, drug combinations have become a new trend in combating complex diseases like cancer, HIV and cardiovascular diseases. However, conventional synergy quantification methods often depend on experimental dose-response data which are quite resource-demanding. In addition, these methods are unable to interpret the explicit synergy mechanism. In this review, we give representative examples of how systems biology modeling offers strategies toward better understanding of drug synergy, including the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network-based methods, pathway dynamic simulations, synergy network motif recognitions, integrative drug feature calculations, and "omic"-supported analyses. Although partially successful in drug synergy exploration and interpretation, more efforts should be put on a holistic understanding of drug-disease interactions, considering integrative pharmacology and toxicology factors. With a comprehensive and deep insight into the mechanism of drug synergy, systems biology opens a novel avenue for rational design of effective drug combinations.

  2. Members of FOX family could be drug targets of cancers.

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    Wang, Jinhua; Li, Wan; Zhao, Ying; Kang, De; Fu, Weiqi; Zheng, Xiangjin; Pang, Xiaocong; Du, Guanhua

    2018-01-01

    FOX families play important roles in biological processes, including metabolism, development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion and longevity. Here we are focusing on roles of FOX members in cancers, FOX members and drug resistance, FOX members and stem cells. Finally, FOX members as drug targets of cancer treatment were discussed. Future perspectives of FOXC1 research were described in the end. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. The Emerging Role of Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Drug Resistance in Cancers: Implications in Advanced Prostate Cancer.

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    Soekmadji, Carolina; Nelson, Colleen C

    2015-01-01

    Emerging evidence has shown that the extracellular vesicles (EVs) regulate various biological processes and can control cell proliferation and survival, as well as being involved in normal cell development and diseases such as cancers. In cancer treatment, development of acquired drug resistance phenotype is a serious issue. Recently it has been shown that the presence of multidrug resistance proteins such as Pgp-1 and enrichment of the lipid ceramide in EVs could have a role in mediating drug resistance. EVs could also mediate multidrug resistance through uptake of drugs in vesicles and thus limit the bioavailability of drugs to treat cancer cells. In this review, we discussed the emerging evidence of the role EVs play in mediating drug resistance in cancers and in particular the role of EVs mediating drug resistance in advanced prostate cancer. The role of EV-associated multidrug resistance proteins, miRNA, mRNA, and lipid as well as the potential interaction(s) among these factors was probed. Lastly, we provide an overview of the current available treatments for advanced prostate cancer, considering where EVs may mediate the development of resistance against these drugs.

  4. RNA Editing and Drug Discovery for Cancer Therapy

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    Wei-Hsuan Huang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available RNA editing is vital to provide the RNA and protein complexity to regulate the gene expression. Correct RNA editing maintains the cell function and organism development. Imbalance of the RNA editing machinery may lead to diseases and cancers. Recently, RNA editing has been recognized as a target for drug discovery although few studies targeting RNA editing for disease and cancer therapy were reported in the field of natural products. Therefore, RNA editing may be a potential target for therapeutic natural products. In this review, we provide a literature overview of the biological functions of RNA editing on gene expression, diseases, cancers, and drugs. The bioinformatics resources of RNA editing were also summarized.

  5. Recent insights in nanotechnology-based drugs and formulations designed for effective anti-cancer therapy.

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    Piktel, Ewelina; Niemirowicz, Katarzyna; Wątek, Marzena; Wollny, Tomasz; Deptuła, Piotr; Bucki, Robert

    2016-05-26

    The rapid development of nanotechnology provides alternative approaches to overcome several limitations of conventional anti-cancer therapy. Drug targeting using functionalized nanoparticles to advance their transport to the dedicated site, became a new standard in novel anti-cancer methods. In effect, the employment of nanoparticles during design of antineoplastic drugs helps to improve pharmacokinetic properties, with subsequent development of high specific, non-toxic and biocompatible anti-cancer agents. However, the physicochemical and biological diversity of nanomaterials and a broad spectrum of unique features influencing their biological action requires continuous research to assess their activity. Among numerous nanosystems designed to eradicate cancer cells, only a limited number of them entered the clinical trials. It is anticipated that progress in development of nanotechnology-based anti-cancer materials will provide modern, individualized anti-cancer therapies assuring decrease in morbidity and mortality from cancer diseases. In this review we discussed the implication of nanomaterials in design of new drugs for effective antineoplastic therapy and describe a variety of mechanisms and challenges for selective tumor targeting. We emphasized the recent advantages in the field of nanotechnology-based strategies to fight cancer and discussed their part in effective anti-cancer therapy and successful drug delivery.

  6. Update on Nanotechnology-based Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Treatment.

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    Ho, Benjamin N; Pfeffer, Claire M; Singh, Amareshwar T K

    2017-11-01

    The emerging field of nanotechnology meets the demands for innovative approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The nanoparticles are biocompatible and biodegradable and are made of a core, a particle that acts as a carrier, and one or more functional groups on the core which target specific sites. Nanotech in drug delivery includes nanodisks, High Density Lipoprotein nanostructures, liposomes, and gold nanoparticles. The fundamental advantages of nanoparticles are: improved delivery of water-insoluble drugs, targeted delivery, co-delivery of two or more drugs for combination therapy, and visualization of the drug delivery site by combining imaging system and a therapeutic drug. One of the potential applications of nanotechnology is in the treatment of cancer. Conventional methods for cancer treatments have included chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation. Early recognition and treatment of cancer with these approaches is still challenging. Innovative technologies are needed to overcome multidrug resistance, and increase drug localization and efficacy. Application of nanotechnology to cancer biology has brought in a new hope for developing treatment strategies on cancer. In this study, we present a review on the recent advances in nanotechnology-based approaches in cancer treatment. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  7. Current dichotomy between traditional molecular biological and omic research in cancer biology and pharmacology.

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    Reinhold, William C

    2015-12-10

    There is currently a split within the cancer research community between traditional molecular biological hypothesis-driven and the more recent "omic" forms or research. While the molecular biological approach employs the tried and true single alteration-single response formulations of experimentation, the omic employs broad-based assay or sample collection approaches that generate large volumes of data. How to integrate the benefits of these two approaches in an efficient and productive fashion remains an outstanding issue. Ideally, one would merge the understandability, exactness, simplicity, and testability of the molecular biological approach, with the larger amounts of data, simultaneous consideration of multiple alterations, consideration of genes both of known interest along with the novel, cross-sample comparisons among cell lines and patient samples, and consideration of directed questions while simultaneously gaining exposure to the novel provided by the omic approach. While at the current time integration of the two disciplines remains problematic, attempts to do so are ongoing, and will be necessary for the understanding of the large cell line screens including the Developmental Therapeutics Program's NCI-60, the Broad Institute's Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute's Cancer Genome Project, as well as the the Cancer Genome Atlas clinical samples project. Going forward there is significant benefit to be had from the integration of the molecular biological and the omic forms or research, with the desired goal being improved translational understanding and application.

  8. Selective Targeting of CTNBB1-, KRAS- or MYC-Driven Cell Growth by Combinations of Existing Drugs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joost C M Uitdehaag

    Full Text Available The aim of combination drug treatment in cancer therapy is to improve response rate and to decrease the probability of the development of drug resistance. Preferably, drug combinations are synergistic rather than additive, and, ideally, drug combinations work synergistically only in cancer cells and not in non-malignant cells. We have developed a workflow to identify such targeted synergies, and applied this approach to selectively inhibit the proliferation of cell lines with mutations in genes that are difficult to modulate with small molecules. The approach is based on curve shift analysis, which we demonstrate is a more robust method of determining synergy than combination matrix screening with Bliss-scoring. We show that the MEK inhibitor trametinib is more synergistic in combination with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib than with vemurafenib, another BRAF inhibitor. In addition, we show that the combination of MEK and BRAF inhibitors is synergistic in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells, and additive or antagonistic in, respectively, BRAF-wild type melanoma cells and non-malignant fibroblasts. This combination exemplifies that synergistic action of drugs can depend on cancer genotype. Next, we used curve shift analysis to identify new drug combinations that specifically inhibit cancer cell proliferation driven by difficult-to-drug cancer genes. Combination studies were performed with compounds that as single agents showed preference for inhibition of cancer cells with mutations in either the CTNNB1 gene (coding for β-catenin, KRAS, or cancer cells expressing increased copy numbers of MYC. We demonstrate that the Wnt-pathway inhibitor ICG-001 and trametinib acted synergistically in Wnt-pathway-mutant cell lines. The ERBB2 inhibitor TAK-165 was synergistic with trametinib in KRAS-mutant cell lines. The EGFR/ERBB2 inhibitor neratinib acted synergistically with the spindle poison docetaxel and with the Aurora kinase inhibitor GSK-1070916 in cell lines

  9. Selective Targeting of CTNNB1-, KRAS- or MYC-Driven Cell Growth by Combinations of Existing Drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uitdehaag, Joost C. M.; de Roos, Jeroen A. D. M.; van Doornmalen, Antoon M.; Prinsen, Martine B. W.; Spijkers-Hagelstein, Jill A. P.; de Vetter, Judith R. F.; de Man, Jos; Buijsman, Rogier C.; Zaman, Guido J. R.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of combination drug treatment in cancer therapy is to improve response rate and to decrease the probability of the development of drug resistance. Preferably, drug combinations are synergistic rather than additive, and, ideally, drug combinations work synergistically only in cancer cells and not in non-malignant cells. We have developed a workflow to identify such targeted synergies, and applied this approach to selectively inhibit the proliferation of cell lines with mutations in genes that are difficult to modulate with small molecules. The approach is based on curve shift analysis, which we demonstrate is a more robust method of determining synergy than combination matrix screening with Bliss-scoring. We show that the MEK inhibitor trametinib is more synergistic in combination with the BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib than with vemurafenib, another BRAF inhibitor. In addition, we show that the combination of MEK and BRAF inhibitors is synergistic in BRAF-mutant melanoma cells, and additive or antagonistic in, respectively, BRAF-wild type melanoma cells and non-malignant fibroblasts. This combination exemplifies that synergistic action of drugs can depend on cancer genotype. Next, we used curve shift analysis to identify new drug combinations that specifically inhibit cancer cell proliferation driven by difficult-to-drug cancer genes. Combination studies were performed with compounds that as single agents showed preference for inhibition of cancer cells with mutations in either the CTNNB1 gene (coding for β-catenin), KRAS, or cancer cells expressing increased copy numbers of MYC. We demonstrate that the Wnt-pathway inhibitor ICG-001 and trametinib acted synergistically in Wnt-pathway-mutant cell lines. The ERBB2 inhibitor TAK-165 was synergistic with trametinib in KRAS-mutant cell lines. The EGFR/ERBB2 inhibitor neratinib acted synergistically with the spindle poison docetaxel and with the Aurora kinase inhibitor GSK-1070916 in cell lines with MYC amplification

  10. Engineered Breast Cancer Cell Spheroids Reproduce Biologic Properties of Solid Tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ham, Stephanie L; Joshi, Ramila; Luker, Gary D; Tavana, Hossein

    2016-11-01

    Solid tumors develop as 3D tissue constructs. As tumors grow larger, spatial gradients of nutrients and oxygen and inadequate diffusive supply to cells distant from vasculature develops. Hypoxia initiates signaling and transcriptional alterations to promote survival of cancer cells and generation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that have self-renewal and tumor-initiation capabilities. Both hypoxia and CSCs are associated with resistance to therapies and tumor relapse. This study demonstrates that 3D cancer cell models, known as tumor spheroids, generated with a polymeric aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) technology capture these important biological processes. Similar to solid tumors, spheroids of triple negative breast cancer cells deposit major extracellular matrix proteins. The molecular analysis establishes presence of hypoxic cells in the core region and expression of CSC gene and protein markers including CD24, CD133, and Nanog. Importantly, these spheroids resist treatment with chemotherapy drugs. A combination treatment approach using a hypoxia-activated prodrug, TH-302, and a chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, successfully targets drug resistant spheroids. This study demonstrates that ATPS spheroids recapitulate important biological and functional properties of solid tumors and provide a unique model for studies in cancer research. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Molecular analysis of urothelial cancer cell lines for modeling tumor biology and drug response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nickerson, M L; Witte, N; Im, K M; Turan, S; Owens, C; Misner, K; Tsang, S X; Cai, Z; Wu, S; Dean, M; Costello, J C; Theodorescu, D

    2017-01-05

    The utility of tumor-derived cell lines is dependent on their ability to recapitulate underlying genomic aberrations and primary tumor biology. Here, we sequenced the exomes of 25 bladder cancer (BCa) cell lines and compared mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs), gene expression and drug response to BCa patient profiles in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We observed a mutation pattern associated with altered CpGs and APOBEC-family cytosine deaminases similar to mutation signatures derived from somatic alterations in muscle-invasive (MI) primary tumors, highlighting a major mechanism(s) contributing to cancer-associated alterations in the BCa cell line exomes. Non-silent sequence alterations were confirmed in 76 cancer-associated genes, including mutations that likely activate oncogenes TERT and PIK3CA, and alter chromatin-associated proteins (MLL3, ARID1A, CHD6 and KDM6A) and established BCa genes (TP53, RB1, CDKN2A and TSC1). We identified alterations in signaling pathways and proteins with related functions, including the PI3K/mTOR pathway, altered in 60% of lines; BRCA DNA repair, 44%; and SYNE1-SYNE2, 60%. Homozygous deletions of chromosome 9p21 are known to target the cell cycle regulators CDKN2A and CDKN2B. This loci was commonly lost in BCa cell lines and we show the deletions extended to the polyamine enzyme methylthioadenosine (MTA) phosphorylase (MTAP) in 36% of lines, transcription factor DMRTA1 (27%) and antiviral interferon epsilon (IFNE, 19%). Overall, the BCa cell line genomic aberrations were concordant with those found in BCa patient tumors. We used gene expression and copy number data to infer pathway activities for cell lines, then used the inferred pathway activities to build a predictive model of cisplatin response. When applied to platinum-treated patients gathered from TCGA, the model predicted treatment-specific response. Together, these data and analysis represent a valuable community resource to model basic tumor biology and to study

  12. Nanomedicine of synergistic drug combinations for cancer therapy - Strategies and perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Rui Xue; Wong, Ho Lun; Xue, Hui Yi; Eoh, June Young; Wu, Xiao Yu

    2016-10-28

    Nanomedicine of synergistic drug combinations has shown increasing significance in cancer therapy due to its promise in providing superior therapeutic benefits to the current drug combination therapy used in clinical practice. In this article, we will examine the rationale, principles, and advantages of applying nanocarriers to improve anticancer drug combination therapy, review the use of nanocarriers for delivery of a variety of combinations of different classes of anticancer agents including small molecule drugs and biologics, and discuss the challenges and future perspectives of the nanocarrier-based combination therapy. The goal of this review is to provide better understanding of this increasingly important new paradigm of cancer treatment and key considerations for rational design of nanomedicine of synergistic drug combinations for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Natural Selection in Cancer Biology: From Molecular Snowflakes to Trait Hallmarks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortunato, Angelo; Boddy, Amy; Mallo, Diego; Aktipis, Athena; Maley, Carlo C; Pepper, John W

    2017-02-01

    Evolution by natural selection is the conceptual foundation for nearly every branch of biology and increasingly also for biomedicine and medical research. In cancer biology, evolution explains how populations of cells in tumors change over time. It is a fundamental question whether this evolutionary process is driven primarily by natural selection and adaptation or by other evolutionary processes such as founder effects and drift. In cancer biology, as in organismal evolutionary biology, there is controversy about this question and also about the use of adaptation through natural selection as a guiding framework for research. In this review, we discuss the differences and similarities between evolution among somatic cells versus evolution among organisms. We review what is known about the parameters and rate of evolution in neoplasms, as well as evidence for adaptation. We conclude that adaptation is a useful framework that accurately explains the defining characteristics of cancer. Further, convergent evolution through natural selection provides the only satisfying explanation both for how a group of diverse pathologies have enough in common to usefully share the descriptive label of "cancer" and for why this convergent condition becomes life-threatening. Copyright © 2017 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

  14. Biological anti-TNF drugs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Prado, Mônica Simon; Bendtzen, Klaus; Andrade, Luis Eduardo Coelho

    2017-01-01

    practice shows a significant percentage of individuals who do not exhibit the desired response. Loss of therapeutic benefit after initial successful response is designated secondary failure. Immune-biological agents are not self-antigens and are therefore potentially immunogenic. Secondary failure...... is frequently caused by antibodies against immune-biologicals, known as anti-drug antibodies (ADA). ADA that neutralize circulating immune-biologicals and/or promote their clearance can reduce treatment efficacy. Furthermore, ADA can induce adverse events by diverse immunological mechanisms. This review...... provides a comprehensive overview of ADA in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with anti-TNF immune-biologicals, and explores the concept of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) as an effective strategy to improve therapeutic management. Expert opinion: Monitoring circulating ADA and therapeutic immune-biological...

  15. Drugs Approved for Cervical Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cervical cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  16. Drugs Approved for Testicular Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for testicular cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  17. Drugs Approved for Esophageal Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for esophageal cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  18. Drugs Approved for Skin Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for skin cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  19. Drugs Approved for Vulvar Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for vulvar cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  20. Drugs Approved for Bone Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for bone cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  1. Drugs Approved for Endometrial Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for endometrial cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  2. Drugs Approved for Liver Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for liver cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI’s Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  3. Drugs Approved for Penile Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for penile cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI’s Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  4. Drugs Approved for Vaginal Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent vaginal cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI’s Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  5. Drugs Approved for Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Ask about Your Treatment Research Drugs Approved for Breast Cancer This page lists cancer drugs approved by the ... are not listed here. Drugs Approved to Prevent Breast Cancer Evista (Raloxifene Hydrochloride) Raloxifene Hydrochloride Tamoxifen Citrate Drugs ...

  6. Nanotechnology-based combinational drug delivery: an emerging approach for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parhi, Priyambada; Mohanty, Chandana; Sahoo, Sanjeeb Kumar

    2012-09-01

    Combination therapy for the treatment of cancer is becoming more popular because it generates synergistic anticancer effects, reduces individual drug-related toxicity and suppresses multi-drug resistance through different mechanisms of action. In recent years, nanotechnology-based combination drug delivery to tumor tissues has emerged as an effective strategy by overcoming many biological, biophysical and biomedical barriers that the body stages against successful delivery of anticancer drugs. The sustained, controlled and targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs in a combination approach enhanced therapeutic anticancer effects with reduced drug-associated side effects. In this article, we have reviewed the scope of various nanotechnology-based combination drug delivery approaches and also summarized the current perspective and challenges facing the successful treatment of cancer. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Chemical kinetic mechanistic models to investigate cancer biology and impact cancer medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stites, Edward C

    2013-01-01

    Traditional experimental biology has provided a mechanistic understanding of cancer in which the malignancy develops through the acquisition of mutations that disrupt cellular processes. Several drugs developed to target such mutations have now demonstrated clinical value. These advances are unequivocal testaments to the value of traditional cellular and molecular biology. However, several features of cancer may limit the pace of progress that can be made with established experimental approaches alone. The mutated genes (and resultant mutant proteins) function within large biochemical networks. Biochemical networks typically have a large number of component molecules and are characterized by a large number of quantitative properties. Responses to a stimulus or perturbation are typically nonlinear and can display qualitative changes that depend upon the specific values of variable system properties. Features such as these can complicate the interpretation of experimental data and the formulation of logical hypotheses that drive further research. Mathematical models based upon the molecular reactions that define these networks combined with computational studies have the potential to deal with these obstacles and to enable currently available information to be more completely utilized. Many of the pressing problems in cancer biology and cancer medicine may benefit from a mathematical treatment. As work in this area advances, one can envision a future where such models may meaningfully contribute to the clinical management of cancer patients. (paper)

  8. Use of genome-wide association studies for cancer research and drug repositioning.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jizhun Zhang

    Full Text Available Although genome-wide association studies have identified many risk loci associated with colorectal cancer, the molecular basis of these associations are still unclear. We aimed to infer biological insights and highlight candidate genes of interest within GWAS risk loci. We used an in silico pipeline based on functional annotation, quantitative trait loci mapping of cis-acting gene, PubMed text-mining, protein-protein interaction studies, genetic overlaps with cancer somatic mutations and knockout mouse phenotypes, and functional enrichment analysis to prioritize the candidate genes at the colorectal cancer risk loci. Based on these analyses, we observed that these genes were the targets of approved therapies for colorectal cancer, and suggested that drugs approved for other indications may be repurposed for the treatment of colorectal cancer. This study highlights the use of publicly available data as a cost effective solution to derive biological insights, and provides an empirical evidence that the molecular basis of colorectal cancer can provide important leads for the discovery of new drugs.

  9. Natural Selection in Cancer Biology: From Molecular Snowflakes to Trait Hallmarks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fortunato, Angelo; Boddy, Amy; Mallo, Diego; Aktipis, Athena; Maley, Carlo C.; Pepper, John W.

    2017-01-01

    Evolution by natural selection is the conceptual foundation for nearly every branch of biology and increasingly also for biomedicine and medical research. In cancer biology, evolution explains how populations of cells in tumors change over time. It is a fundamental question whether this evolutionary process is driven primarily by natural selection and adaptation or by other evolutionary processes such as founder effects and drift. In cancer biology, as in organismal evolutionary biology, there is controversy about this question and also about the use of adaptation through natural selection as a guiding framework for research. In this review, we discuss the differences and similarities between evolution among somatic cells versus evolution among organisms. We review what is known about the parameters and rate of evolution in neoplasms, as well as evidence for adaptation. We conclude that adaptation is a useful framework that accurately explains the defining characteristics of cancer. Further, convergent evolution through natural selection provides the only satisfying explanation both for how a group of diverse pathologies have enough in common to usefully share the descriptive label of “cancer” and for why this convergent condition becomes life-threatening. PMID:28148564

  10. Open source machine-learning algorithms for the prediction of optimal cancer drug therapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Cai; Mezencev, Roman; McDonald, John F; Vannberg, Fredrik

    2017-01-01

    Precision medicine is a rapidly growing area of modern medical science and open source machine-learning codes promise to be a critical component for the successful development of standardized and automated analysis of patient data. One important goal of precision cancer medicine is the accurate prediction of optimal drug therapies from the genomic profiles of individual patient tumors. We introduce here an open source software platform that employs a highly versatile support vector machine (SVM) algorithm combined with a standard recursive feature elimination (RFE) approach to predict personalized drug responses from gene expression profiles. Drug specific models were built using gene expression and drug response data from the National Cancer Institute panel of 60 human cancer cell lines (NCI-60). The models are highly accurate in predicting the drug responsiveness of a variety of cancer cell lines including those comprising the recent NCI-DREAM Challenge. We demonstrate that predictive accuracy is optimized when the learning dataset utilizes all probe-set expression values from a diversity of cancer cell types without pre-filtering for genes generally considered to be "drivers" of cancer onset/progression. Application of our models to publically available ovarian cancer (OC) patient gene expression datasets generated predictions consistent with observed responses previously reported in the literature. By making our algorithm "open source", we hope to facilitate its testing in a variety of cancer types and contexts leading to community-driven improvements and refinements in subsequent applications.

  11. Open source machine-learning algorithms for the prediction of optimal cancer drug therapies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cai Huang

    Full Text Available Precision medicine is a rapidly growing area of modern medical science and open source machine-learning codes promise to be a critical component for the successful development of standardized and automated analysis of patient data. One important goal of precision cancer medicine is the accurate prediction of optimal drug therapies from the genomic profiles of individual patient tumors. We introduce here an open source software platform that employs a highly versatile support vector machine (SVM algorithm combined with a standard recursive feature elimination (RFE approach to predict personalized drug responses from gene expression profiles. Drug specific models were built using gene expression and drug response data from the National Cancer Institute panel of 60 human cancer cell lines (NCI-60. The models are highly accurate in predicting the drug responsiveness of a variety of cancer cell lines including those comprising the recent NCI-DREAM Challenge. We demonstrate that predictive accuracy is optimized when the learning dataset utilizes all probe-set expression values from a diversity of cancer cell types without pre-filtering for genes generally considered to be "drivers" of cancer onset/progression. Application of our models to publically available ovarian cancer (OC patient gene expression datasets generated predictions consistent with observed responses previously reported in the literature. By making our algorithm "open source", we hope to facilitate its testing in a variety of cancer types and contexts leading to community-driven improvements and refinements in subsequent applications.

  12. What does systems biology mean for drug development?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrattenholz, André; Soskić, Vukić

    2008-01-01

    The complexity and flexibility of cellular architectures is increasingly recognized by impressive progress on the side of molecular analytics, i.e. proteomics, genomics and metabolomics. One of the messages from systems biology is that the number of molecular species in cellular networks is orders of magnitude bigger than anticipated by genomic analysis, in particular by fast posttranslational modifications of proteins. The requirements to manage external signals, integrate spatiotemporal signal transduction inside an organism and at the same time optimizing networks of biochemical and chemical reactions result in chemically extremely fine tuned molecular entities. Chemical side reactions of enzymatic activity, like e.g. random oxidative damage of proteins by free radicals during aging constantly introduce epigenetic alterations of protein targets. These events gradually and on an individual stochastic scale, keep modifying activities of these targets, and their affinities and selectivities towards biological and pharmacological ligands. One further message is that many of the key reactions in living systems are essentially based on interactions of low affinities and even low selectivities. This principle is responsible for the enormous flexibility and redundancy of cellular circuitries. So, in complex disorders like cancer or neurodegenerative diseases, which are rooted in relatively subtle and multimodal dysfunction of important physiologic pathways, drug discovery programs based on the concept of high affinity/high specificity compounds ("one-target, one-disease"), which still dominate the pharmaceutical industry increasingly turn out to be unsuccessful. Despite improvements in rational drug design and high throughput screening methods, the number of novel, single-target drugs fell much behind expectations during the past decade and the treatment of "complex diseases" remains a most pressing medical need. Currently a change of paradigm can be observed with

  13. Regulating Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Biology in Prostate Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0512 TITLE: Regulating Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Biology in Prostate Cancer PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Andrew...SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Regulating Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Biology in Prostate Cancer 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-15-1-0512 5c. PROGRAM...blocked by the addition of Pim inhibitors. These results suggest that the Pim protein kinase can regulate stromal cell biology to modulate epithelial

  14. Anticoagulant drugs increase natural killer cell activity in lung cancer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bobek, M.; Boubelík, Michael; Fišerová, Anna; Luptovcová, Martina; Vannucci, Luca; Kacprzak, G.; Kolodzej, J.; Majewski, A.M.; Hoffman, R. M.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 47, č. 2 (2005), s. 215-223 ISSN 0169-5002 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5052915 Keywords : anticoagulant drugs * lung cancer * NK cells Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.172, year: 2005

  15. Drugs Approved for Thyroid Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Ask about Your Treatment Research Drugs Approved for Thyroid Cancer This page lists cancer drugs approved by the ... that are not listed here. Drugs Approved for Thyroid Cancer Cabozantinib-S-Malate Caprelsa (Vandetanib) Cometriq (Cabozantinib-S-Malate) Doxorubicin ...

  16. Understanding drugs in breast cancer through drug sensitivity screening.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uhr, Katharina; Prager-van der Smissen, Wendy J C; Heine, Anouk A J; Ozturk, Bahar; Smid, Marcel; Göhlmann, Hinrich W H; Jager, Agnes; Foekens, John A; Martens, John W M

    2015-01-01

    With substantial numbers of breast tumors showing or acquiring treatment resistance, it is of utmost importance to develop new agents for the treatment of the disease, to know their effectiveness against breast cancer and to understand their relationships with other drugs to best assign the right drug to the right patient. To achieve this goal drug screenings on breast cancer cell lines are a promising approach. In this study a large-scale drug screening of 37 compounds was performed on a panel of 42 breast cancer cell lines representing the main breast cancer subtypes. Clustering, correlation and pathway analyses were used for data analysis. We found that compounds with a related mechanism of action had correlated IC50 values and thus grouped together when the cell lines were hierarchically clustered based on IC50 values. In total we found six clusters of drugs of which five consisted of drugs with related mode of action and one cluster with two drugs not previously connected. In total, 25 correlated and four anti-correlated drug sensitivities were revealed of which only one drug, Sirolimus, showed significantly lower IC50 values in the luminal/ERBB2 breast cancer subtype. We found expected interactions but also discovered new relationships between drugs which might have implications for cancer treatment regimens.

  17. Three-dimensional models of cancer for pharmacology and cancer cell biology: capturing tumor complexity in vitro/ex vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hickman, John A; Graeser, Ralph; de Hoogt, Ronald; Vidic, Suzana; Brito, Catarina; Gutekunst, Matthias; van der Kuip, Heiko

    2014-09-01

    Cancers are complex and heterogeneous pathological "organs" in a dynamic interplay with their host. Models of human cancer in vitro, used in cancer biology and drug discovery, are generally highly reductionist. These cancer models do not incorporate complexity or heterogeneity. This raises the question as to whether the cancer models' biochemical circuitry (not their genome) represents, with sufficient fidelity, a tumor in situ. Around 95% of new anticancer drugs eventually fail in clinical trial, despite robust indications of activity in existing in vitro pre-clinical models. Innovative models are required that better capture tumor biology. An important feature of all tissues, and tumors, is that cells grow in three dimensions. Advances in generating and characterizing simple and complex (with added stromal components) three-dimensional in vitro models (3D models) are reviewed in this article. The application of stirred bioreactors to permit both scale-up/scale-down of these cancer models and, importantly, methods to permit controlled changes in environment (pH, nutrients, and oxygen) are also described. The challenges of generating thin tumor slices, their utility, and potential advantages and disadvantages are discussed. These in vitro/ex vivo models represent a distinct move to capture the realities of tumor biology in situ, but significant characterization work still remains to be done in order to show that their biochemical circuitry accurately reflects that of a tumor. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Unique molecular landscapes in cancer: implications for individualized, curated drug combinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheler, Jennifer; Lee, J Jack; Kurzrock, Razelle

    2014-12-15

    With increasingly sophisticated technologies in molecular biology and "omic" platforms to analyze patients' tumors, more molecular diversity and complexity in cancer are being observed. Recently, we noted unique genomic profiles in a group of patients with metastatic breast cancer based on an analysis with next-generation sequencing. Among 57 consecutive patients, no two had the same molecular portfolio. Applied genomics therefore appears to represent a disruptive innovation in that it unveils a heterogeneity to metastatic cancer that may be ill-suited to canonical clinical trials and practice paradigms. Upon recognizing that patients have unique tumor landscapes, it is possible that there may be a "mismatch" between our traditional clinical trials system that selects patients based on common characteristics to evaluate a drug (drug-centric approach) and optimal treatment based on curated, individualized drug combinations for each patient (patient-centric approach). ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  19. 42 CFR 409.13 - Drugs and biologicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Drugs and biologicals. 409.13 Section 409.13 Public... § 409.13 Drugs and biologicals. (a) Except as specified in paragraph (b) of this section, Medicare pays for drugs and biologicals as inpatient hospital or inpatient CAH services only if— (1) They represent...

  20. Advancing Cancer Systems Biology: Introducing the Center for the Development of a Virtual Tumor, CViT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean Martin

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Integrative cancer biology research relies on a variety of data-driven computational modeling and simulation methods and techniques geared towards gaining new insights into the complexity of biological processes that are of critical importance for cancer research. These include the dynamics of gene-protein interaction networks, the percolation of subcellular perturbations across scales and the impact they may have on tumorigenesis in both experiments and clinics. Such innovative ‘systems’ research will greatly benefi t from enabling Information Technology that is currently under development, including an online collaborative environment, a Semantic Web based computing platform that hosts data and model repositories as well as high-performance computing access. Here, we present one of the National Cancer Institute’s recently established Integrative Cancer Biology Programs, i.e. the Center for the Development of a Virtual Tumor, CViT, which is charged with building a cancer modeling community, developing the aforementioned enabling technologies and fostering multi-scale cancer modeling and simulation.

  1. Fertility drugs and ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Aus Tariq

    2017-06-20

    The aetiology of ovarian cancer is multifactorial with both endogenous and exogenous risk factors playing an important role. The exact pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is still not well understood, despite the number of hypotheses published. Due to an increase in the number of women using fertility drugs, much attention has been focused on the long-term health effects of such drugs. Although fertility drugs facilitate the ovulation process, it is however associated with a significant increase in hormone concentrations, placing exposed women at increased risk of gynaecological cancer. Many clinical and epidemiological studies have examined the association between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer risk. Results from these studies have been contradictory, as some studies have reported an increased risk of ovarian cancer while others reported no increased risk. Nevertheless, recent studies have shown that women who used fertility drugs and did not conceive had a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer, compared to women who used fertility drugs and conceived and delivered successfully. This review discusses the effect of fertility drugs on the risk of developing ovarian cancer, providing details on four possible scenarios associated with fertility treatment. In addition, the limitations of previous studies and their impact on our understanding of the association between fertility drugs and ovarian cancer also have been highlighted. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  2. The role of miRNA regulation in cancer progression and drug resistance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Joshi, Tejal

    RNAs in the context of cancer biology, drug resistance and disease progression. The first project described in Chapter 6 addresses the problem of tamoxifen resistance, an anti-estrogen drug that is generally highly effective in the treatment of ER-positive breast cancers. The underlying molecular mechanisms...... to the disease transformation. In summary, this thesis focuses on regulatory role of miRNAs in drug resistance and disease progression. The findings provide hints toward various biologically and perhaps therapeutically relevant gene regulatory events. This thesis demonstrates the right choice of data analysis...... for the acquired resistance to tamoxifen are not very well understood. Therefore, with the aid of miRNA and gene expression profiles for MCF7/S0.5 (tamoxifen sensitive) and three MCF7/S0.5 derived tamoxifen resistant cell lines, we obtained several miRNA-mediated regulatory events in the tamoxifen resistant cell...

  3. Carbon Nanotubes: An Emerging Drug Carrier for Targeting Cancer Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattacharya, Shiv Sankar; Mishra, Arun Kumar; Verma, Navneet; Verma, Anurag; Pandit, Jayanta Kumar

    2014-01-01

    During recent years carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been attracted by many researchers as a drug delivery carrier. CNTs are the third allotropic form of carbon-fullerenes which were rolled into cylindrical tubes. To be integrated into the biological systems, CNTs can be chemically modified or functionalised with therapeutically active molecules by forming stable covalent bonds or supramolecular assemblies based on noncovalent interactions. Owing to their high carrying capacity, biocompatibility, and specificity to cells, various cancer cells have been explored with CNTs for evaluation of pharmacokinetic parameters, cell viability, cytotoxicty, and drug delivery in tumor cells. This review attempts to highlight all aspects of CNTs which render them as an effective anticancer drug carrier and imaging agent. Also the potential application of CNT in targeting metastatic cancer cells by entrapping biomolecules and anticancer drugs has been covered in this review. PMID:24872894

  4. Drugs Approved for Stomach (Gastric) Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for stomach (gastric) cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  5. Clinical Significance of HER-2 Splice Variants in Breast Cancer Progression and Drug Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire Jackson

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2 occurs in 20–30% of breast cancers and confers survival and proliferative advantages on the tumour cells making HER-2 an ideal therapeutic target for drugs like Herceptin. Continued delineation of tumour biology has identified splice variants of HER-2, with contrasting roles in tumour cell biology. For example, the splice variant 16HER-2 (results from exon 16 skipping increases transformation of cancer cells and is associated with treatment resistance; conversely, Herstatin (results from intron 8 retention and p100 (results from intron 15 retention inhibit tumour cell proliferation. This review focuses on the potential clinical implications of the expression and coexistence of HER-2 splice variants in cancer cells in relation to breast cancer progression and drug resistance. “Individualised” strategies currently guide breast cancer management; in accordance, HER-2 splice variants may prove valuable as future prognostic and predictive factors, as well as potential therapeutic targets.

  6. Drug Treatment of Cancer Cell Lines: A Way to Select for Cancer Stem Cells?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiodi, Ilaria; Belgiovine, Cristina; Donà, Francesca; Scovassi, A. Ivana; Mondello, Chiara

    2011-01-01

    Tumors are generally composed of different cell types. In recent years, it has been shown that in many types of cancers a subset of cells show peculiar characteristics, such as the ability to induce tumors when engrafted into host animals, self-renew and being immortal, and give rise to a differentiated progeny. These cells have been defined as cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells. CSCs can be isolated both from tumor specimens and established cancer cell lines on the basis of their ability to exclude fluorescent dyes, express specific cell surface markers or grow in particular culture conditions. A key feature of CSCs is their resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, which could contribute to the remaining of residual cancer cells after therapeutic treatments. It has been shown that CSC-like cells can be isolated after drug treatment of cancer cell lines; in this review, we will describe the strategies so far applied to identify and isolate CSCs. Furthermore, we will discuss the possible use of these selected populations to investigate CSC biology and develop new anticancer drugs

  7. Drug Repositioning Discovery for Early- and Late-Stage Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chien-Hung Huang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Drug repositioning is a popular approach in the pharmaceutical industry for identifying potential new uses for existing drugs and accelerating the development time. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. To reduce the biological heterogeneity effects among different individuals, both normal and cancer tissues were taken from the same patient, hence allowing pairwise testing. By comparing early- and late-stage cancer patients, we can identify stage-specific NSCLC genes. Differentially expressed genes are clustered separately to form up- and downregulated communities that are used as queries to perform enrichment analysis. The results suggest that pathways for early- and late-stage cancers are different. Sets of up- and downregulated genes were submitted to the cMap web resource to identify potential drugs. To achieve high confidence drug prediction, multiple microarray experimental results were merged by performing meta-analysis. The results of a few drug findings are supported by MTT assay or clonogenic assay data. In conclusion, we have been able to assess the potential existing drugs to identify novel anticancer drugs, which may be helpful in drug repositioning discovery for NSCLC.

  8. Drugs Approved for Pancreatic Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pancreatic cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters.

  9. Drugs Approved for Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lung cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters.

  10. Drugs Approved for Bladder Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for bladder cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters.

  11. Understanding the biology of urothelial cancer metastasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takashi Kobayashi

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Management of unresectable urothelial cancer (UC has been a clinical challenge for decades. While drug resistance is a key issue, precise understanding of biology of UC metastasis is another challenge for the improvement of treatment outcome of UC patients. Introduction of the cell biology concepts including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT and cancer stemness seems to explain UC metastasis. Molecular genetics based on gene expression profiling, next generation sequencing, and explosion of non-coding RNA world has opened the door to intrinsic molecular subtyping of UC. Next steps include, based on the recently accumulated understanding, the establishment of novel disease models representing UC metastasis in various experimental platforms, particularly in vivo animal systems. Indeed, novel knowledge molecular genetics has not been fully linked to the modeling of UC metastasis. Further understanding of bladder carcinogenesis is needed particularly with regard to cell of origin related to tumor characteristics including driver gene alterations, pathological differentiations, and metastatic ability. Then we will be able to establish better disease models, which will consequently lead us to further understanding of biology and eventually the development of novel therapeutic strategies for UC metastasis.

  12. From cell biology to immunology: Controlling metastatic progression of cancer via microRNA regulatory networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jae Hyon; Theodoratou, Evropi; Calin, George A; Shin, Jae Il

    2016-01-01

    Recently, the study of microRNAs has expanded our knowledge of the fundamental processes of cancer biology and the underlying mechanisms behind tumor metastasis. Extensive research in the fields of microRNA and its novel mechanisms of actions against various cancers has more recently led to the trial of a first cancer-targeted microRNA drug, MRX34. Yet, these microRNAs are mostly being studied and clinically trialed solely based on the understanding of their cell biologic effects, thus, neglecting the important immunologic effects that are sometimes opposite of the cell biologic effects. Here, we summarize both the cell biologic and immunologic effects of various microRNAs and discuss the importance of considering both effects before using them in clinical settings. We stress the importance of understanding the miRNA's effect on cancer metastasis from a "systems" perspective before developing a miRNA-targeted therapeutic in treating cancer metastasis.

  13. Skin Cancer: Biology, Risk Factors & Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... turn Javascript on. Feature: Skin Cancer Skin Cancer: Biology, Risk Factors & Treatment Past Issues / Summer 2013 Table ... Articles Skin Cancer Can Strike Anyone / Skin Cancer: Biology, Risk Factors & Treatment / Timely Healthcare Checkup Catches Melanoma ...

  14. Primary and acquired resistance to biologic therapies in gastrointestinal cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubner, Sam J; Uboha, Nataliya V; Deming, Dustin A

    2017-06-01

    Improvements in the understanding of cancer biology have led to therapeutic advances in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. Drugs which target the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways have led the way in colon cancer. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as bevacizumab, ramucirumab, cetuximab, and panitumumab, have improved progression free survival and overall survival (OS) for colorectal cancers and were quickly adopted. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) has demonstrated significant benefit for gastroesophageal cancers and in the setting of HER2 amplification, trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy has become the standard of care. However, responses have not been as durable nor as robust as once hoped. Mechanisms of resistance for each of these biologic compounds have been hypothesized and are in the process of being better elucidated. This review will approach the innate and acquired mechanisms of resistance of the above compounds. Additionally, we will explore some ongoing clinical trials to capitalize on the mechanisms of resistance in the hopes of retaining the promise of targeting these pathways.

  15. 21 CFR 25.31 - Human drugs and biologics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Human drugs and biologics. 25.31 Section 25.31 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT CONSIDERATIONS Categorical Exclusions § 25.31 Human drugs and biologics. The classes of...

  16. Open-source chemogenomic data-driven algorithms for predicting drug-target interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Ming; Bryant, Stephen H; Wang, Yanli

    2018-02-06

    While novel technologies such as high-throughput screening have advanced together with significant investment by pharmaceutical companies during the past decades, the success rate for drug development has not yet been improved prompting researchers looking for new strategies of drug discovery. Drug repositioning is a potential approach to solve this dilemma. However, experimental identification and validation of potential drug targets encoded by the human genome is both costly and time-consuming. Therefore, effective computational approaches have been proposed to facilitate drug repositioning, which have proved to be successful in drug discovery. Doubtlessly, the availability of open-accessible data from basic chemical biology research and the success of human genome sequencing are crucial to develop effective in silico drug repositioning methods allowing the identification of potential targets for existing drugs. In this work, we review several chemogenomic data-driven computational algorithms with source codes publicly accessible for predicting drug-target interactions (DTIs). We organize these algorithms by model properties and model evolutionary relationships. We re-implemented five representative algorithms in R programming language, and compared these algorithms by means of mean percentile ranking, a new recall-based evaluation metric in the DTI prediction research field. We anticipate that this review will be objective and helpful to researchers who would like to further improve existing algorithms or need to choose appropriate algorithms to infer potential DTIs in the projects. The source codes for DTI predictions are available at: https://github.com/minghao2016/chemogenomicAlg4DTIpred. Published by Oxford University Press 2018. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  17. Fertility drugs and cancer: a guideline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Methodological limitations in studying the association between the use of fertility drugs and cancer include the inherent increased risk of cancer in women who never conceive, the low incidence of most of these cancers, and that the age of diagnosis of cancer typically is many years after fertility drug use. Based on available data, there does not appear to be a meaningful increased risk of invasive ovarian cancer, breast cancer, or endometrial cancer following the use of fertility drugs. Several studies have shown a small increased risk of borderline ovarian tumors; however, there is insufficient consistent evidence that a particular fertility drug increases the risk of borderline ovarian tumors, and any absolute risk is small. Given the available literature, patients should be counseled that infertile women may be at an increased risk of invasive ovarian, endometrial, and breast cancer; however, use of fertility drugs does not appear to increase this risk. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Financial Burden of Cancer Drug Treatment in Lebanon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elias, Fadia; Khuri, Fadlo R; Adib, Salim M; Karam, Rita; Harb, Hilda; Awar, May; Zalloua, Pierre; Ammar, Walid

    2016-01-01

    The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Lebanon provides cancer drugs free of charge for uninsured patients who account for more than half the total caseload. Other categories of cancer care are subsidized under more stringent eligibility criteria. MOPH's large database offers an excellent opportunity to analyze the cost of cancer treatment in Lebanon. Using utilization and spending data accumulated at MOPH during 20082013, the cost to the public budget of cancer drugs was assessed per case and per drug type. The average annual cost of cancer drugs was 6,475$ per patient. Total cancer drug costs were highest for breast cancer, followed by chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and NonHodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which together represented 74% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure. The annual average cancer drug cost per case was highest for CML ($31,037), followed by NHL ($11,566). Trastuzumab represented 26% and Imatinib 15% of total MOPH cancer drug expenditure over six years. Sustained increase in cancer drug cost threatens the sustainability of MOPH coverage, so crucial for socially vulnerable citizens. To enhance the bargaining position with pharmaceutical firms for drug cost containment in a small market like Lebanon, drug price comparisons with neighboring countries which have already obtained lower prices may succeed in lowering drug costs.

  19. Drugs Approved for Head and Neck Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for head and neck cancer. The list includes generic names and brand names. The drug names link to NCI’s Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  20. The biological significance and clinical applications of exosomes in ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorayappan, Kalpana Deepa Priya; Wallbillich, John J; Cohn, David E; Selvendiran, Karuppaiyah

    2016-07-01

    Exosomes are nano-sized (20-100nm) vesicles released by a variety of cells and are generated within the endosomal system or at the plasma membrane. There is emerging evidence that exosomes play a key role in intercellular communication in ovarian and other cancers. The protein and microRNA content of exosomes has been implicated in various intracellular processes that mediate oncogenesis, tumor spread, and drug resistance. Exosomes may prime distant tissue sites for reception of future metastases and their release can be mediated by the tumor microenvironment (e.g., hypoxia). Ovarian cancer-derived exosomes have unique features that could be leveraged for use as biomarkers to facilitate improved detection and treatment of the disease. Further, exosomes have the potential to serve as targets and/or drug delivery vehicles in the treatment of ovarian cancer. In this review we discuss the biological and clinical significance of exosomes relevant to the progression, detection, and treatment of ovarian cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Benefit and harms of new anti-cancer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera-Badillo, Francisco E; Al-Mubarak, Mustafa; Templeton, Arnoud J; Amir, Eitan

    2013-06-01

    Phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assess clinically important differences in endpoints that reflect benefit to and harm of patients. Defining benefit of cancer drugs can be difficult. Overall survival and quality of life are the most relevant primary endpoints, but difficulty in measuring these mean that other endpoints are often used, although their surrogacy or clinical relevance has not always been established. In general, advances in drug development have led to numerous new drugs to enter the market. Pivotal RCT of several new drugs have shown that benefit appeared greater for targeted anticancer agents than for chemotherapeutic agents. This effect seems particularly evident with targeted agents evaluated in biomarker-driven studies. Unfortunately, new therapies have also shown an increase in toxicity. Such toxicity is not always evident in the initial reports of RCTs. This may be a result of a statistical inability to detect differences between arms of RCTs, or occasionally due to biased reporting. There are several examples where reports of new toxicities could only be found in drug labels. In some cases, the small improvement in survival has come at a cost of substantial excess toxicity, leading some to consider such therapy as having equipoise.

  2. P53- and mevalonate pathway–driven malignancies require Arf6 for metastasis and drug resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashimoto, Ari; Oikawa, Tsukasa; Hashimoto, Shigeru; Sugino, Hirokazu; Yoshikawa, Ayumu; Otsuka, Yutaro; Handa, Haruka; Onodera, Yasuhito; Nam, Jin-Min; Oneyama, Chitose; Okada, Masato; Fukuda, Mitsunori

    2016-01-01

    Drug resistance, metastasis, and a mesenchymal transcriptional program are central features of aggressive breast tumors. The GTPase Arf6, often overexpressed in tumors, is critical to promote epithelial–mesenchymal transition and invasiveness. The metabolic mevalonate pathway (MVP) is associated with tumor invasiveness and known to prenylate proteins, but which prenylated proteins are critical for MVP-driven cancers is unknown. We show here that MVP requires the Arf6-dependent mesenchymal program. The MVP enzyme geranylgeranyl transferase II (GGT-II) and its substrate Rab11b are critical for Arf6 trafficking to the plasma membrane, where it is activated by receptor tyrosine kinases. Consistently, mutant p53, which is known to support tumorigenesis via MVP, promotes Arf6 activation via GGT-II and Rab11b. Inhibition of MVP and GGT-II blocked invasion and metastasis and reduced cancer cell resistance against chemotherapy agents, but only in cells overexpressing Arf6 and components of the mesenchymal program. Overexpression of Arf6 and mesenchymal proteins as well as enhanced MVP activity correlated with poor patient survival. These results provide insights into the molecular basis of MVP-driven malignancy. PMID:27044891

  3. Omics/systems biology and cancer cachexia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Iain J; Jacobi, Carsten; Tardif, Nicolas; Rooyackers, Olav; Fearon, Kenneth

    2016-06-01

    Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome generated by interaction between the host and tumour cells with a background of treatment effects and toxicity. The complexity of the physiological pathways likely involved in cancer cachexia necessitates a holistic view of the relevant biology. Emergent properties are characteristic of complex systems with the result that the end result is more than the sum of its parts. Recognition of the importance of emergent properties in biology led to the concept of systems biology wherein a holistic approach is taken to the biology at hand. Systems biology approaches will therefore play an important role in work to uncover key mechanisms with therapeutic potential in cancer cachexia. The 'omics' technologies provide a global view of biological systems. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics approaches all have application in the study of cancer cachexia to generate systems level models of the behaviour of this syndrome. The current work reviews recent applications of these technologies to muscle atrophy in general and cancer cachexia in particular with a view to progress towards integration of these approaches to better understand the pathology and potential treatment pathways in cancer cachexia. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  4. Drug Repositioning for Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turanli, Beste; Grøtli, Morten; Boren, Jan; Nielsen, Jens; Uhlen, Mathias; Arga, Kazim Y; Mardinoglu, Adil

    2018-01-01

    Drug repositioning has gained attention from both academia and pharmaceutical companies as an auxiliary process to conventional drug discovery. Chemotherapeutic agents have notorious adverse effects that drastically reduce the life quality of cancer patients so drug repositioning is a promising strategy to identify non-cancer drugs which have anti-cancer activity as well as tolerable adverse effects for human health. There are various strategies for discovery and validation of repurposed drugs. In this review, 25 repurposed drug candidates are presented as result of different strategies, 15 of which are already under clinical investigation for treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). To date, zoledronic acid is the only repurposed, clinically used, and approved non-cancer drug for PCa. Anti-cancer activities of existing drugs presented in this review cover diverse and also known mechanisms such as inhibition of mTOR and VEGFR2 signaling, inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling, COX and selective COX-2 inhibition, NF-κB inhibition, Wnt/β-Catenin pathway inhibition, DNMT1 inhibition, and GSK-3β inhibition. In addition to monotherapy option, combination therapy with current anti-cancer drugs may also increase drug efficacy and reduce adverse effects. Thus, drug repositioning may become a key approach for drug discovery in terms of time- and cost-efficiency comparing to conventional drug discovery and development process.

  5. Clinical proteomics-driven precision medicine for targeted cancer therapy: current overview and future perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Li; Wang, Kui; Li, Qifu; Nice, Edouard C; Zhang, Haiyuan; Huang, Canhua

    2016-01-01

    Cancer is a common disease that is a leading cause of death worldwide. Currently, early detection and novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for more effective management of cancer. Importantly, protein profiling using clinical proteomic strategies, with spectacular sensitivity and precision, offer excellent promise for the identification of potential biomarkers that would direct the development of targeted therapeutic anticancer drugs for precision medicine. In particular, clinical sample sources, including tumor tissues and body fluids (blood, feces, urine and saliva), have been widely investigated using modern high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches combined with bioinformatic analysis, to pursue the possibilities of precision medicine for targeted cancer therapy. Discussed in this review are the current advantages and limitations of clinical proteomics, the available strategies of clinical proteomics for the management of precision medicine, as well as the challenges and future perspectives of clinical proteomics-driven precision medicine for targeted cancer therapy.

  6. Effects of 5-fluorouracil on biological characteristics and drug resistance mechanisms of liver cancer cell line PLC/RAF/5

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHENG Kangwen

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available ObjectiveTo study the changes in biological characteristics of a liver cancer cell line PLC/RAF/5 after repeated exposure to a chemotherapy drug, 5-fluorouraci (5-FU, and to investigate the relationship between drug-resistant liver cancer cells and liver cancer stem cells. MethodsA low concentration of 5-FU (1 μg/ml was used to treat the human liver cancer cell line PLC/RAF/5 repeatedly to establish the PLC/RAF/5/5-FU cell line. Morphological differences between the two types of cells were observed. The inhibitory effects of different concentrations of 5-FU (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 μg/ml on the proliferation of the two types of cells were determined using the CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis of the two types of cells after exposure to different concentrations of 5-FU (0.5, 1, and 2 μg/ml for 48 h was analyzed using flow cytometry. The proportions of side population cells in both types of cells were measured using flow cytometry. The colony-forming ability was compared between the two types of cells by the plate colony-forming assay. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2, ABCG2, and FoxM1 proteins in both types of cells was examined by Western blot. Between-group comparison was performed by t test. ResultsThe PLC/RAF/5/5-FU cell line was successfully established using the chemotherapy drug 5-FU. Compared with the PLC/RAF/5 cells, the PLC/RAF/5/5-FU cells had a larger volume, fewer protrusions, a changed shape of a long shuttle, and enhanced refractivity. Moreover, compared with the parent cells, the PLC/RAF/5/5-FU cells had a significantly lower sensitivity to the inhibitory effect of 5-FU on proliferation, a significantly lower proportion of cells at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, significantly higher proportions of cells at the S and G2/M phases, significantly higher resistance to apoptosis, a significantly higher proportion of side population cells, and significantly enhanced proliferation (P<0.05. According to the results of Western blot assay, the

  7. CDK-mediated activation of the SCF(FBXO) (28) ubiquitin ligase promotes MYC-driven transcription and tumourigenesis and predicts poor survival in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cepeda, Diana; Ng, Hwee-Fang; Sharifi, Hamid Reza

    2013-01-01

    SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F-box) ubiquitin ligases act as master regulators of cellular homeostasis by targeting key proteins for ubiquitylation. Here, we identified a hitherto uncharacterized F-box protein, FBXO28 that controls MYC-dependent transcription by non-proteolytic ubiquitylation. SCF(FBXO28...... results in an impairment of MYC-driven transcription, transformation and tumourigenesis. Finally, in human breast cancer, high FBXO28 expression and phosphorylation are strong and independent predictors of poor outcome. In conclusion, our data suggest that SCF(FBXO28) plays an important role...... in transmitting CDK activity to MYC function during the cell cycle, emphasizing the CDK-FBXO28-MYC axis as a potential molecular drug target in MYC-driven cancers, including breast cancer....

  8. Addressing Cancer Drug Costs and Value

    Science.gov (United States)

    The President’s Cancer Panel has released its latest report, Promoting Value, Affordability, and Innovation in Cancer Drug Treatment. The report recommends six actions to maximize the value and affordability of cancer drug treatment.

  9. Data driven polypharmacological drug design for lung cancer: analyses for targeting ALK, MET, and EGFR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Narayanan, Dilip; Gani, Osman ABSM; Gruber, Franz XE

    2017-01-01

    encoded into molecular mechanics force fields. Cheminformatics analyses of binding data show EGFR to be dissimilar to ALK and MET, but its structure shows how it may be co-targeted with the addition of a covalent trap. This suggests a strategy for the design of a focussed chemical library based on a pan......Drug design of protein kinase inhibitors is now greatly enabled by thousands of publicly available X-ray structures, extensive ligand binding data, and optimized scaffolds coming off patent. The extensive data begin to enable design against a spectrum of targets (polypharmacology); however...... consider polypharmacological targeting of protein kinases ALK, MET, and EGFR (and its drug resistant mutant T790M) in non small cell lung cancer as an example. Both EGFR and ALK represent sources of primary oncogenic lesions, while drug resistance arises from MET amplification and EGFR mutation. A drug...

  10. Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Your Treatment Research Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer This page lists cancer drugs approved by the ... not listed here. Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer Afinitor (Everolimus) Aldesleukin Avastin (Bevacizumab) Axitinib Bevacizumab Cabometyx ( ...

  11. Sex-driven vulnerability in stress and drug abuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Alessandra; Raggi, Carla; Borgi, Marta; Cirulli, Francesca

    2016-01-01

    A growing body of literature shows that a link exists between substance abuse and stress and that the crosstalk of sex hormones with the neuroendocrine system might differently prime vulnerability to drug addiction in male and female subjects. Thus, understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction and the identification of sex-driven determinants in vulnerability to drug abuse may help to better devise and/or implement strategic (pharmacological, behavioural, social) interventions to prevent or face the issue of addiction. Differences between sexes can be found at all stages of life (in both the animal model and human studies) and may account for genetic, epigenetic and environmental/hormonal factors that in turn affect the functionality of the whole organism leading also to a sex-driven differential vulnerability or resilience to non-communicable pathologies. These include the onset and precipitation of stress-related psychiatric disorders as well as "substance-related and addictive disorders" (as defined in the DSM-V). This paper reviews the scientific literature highlighting significant differences in male and female subjects in stress and neuroendocrine function and the implications for sex-dependent differential vulnerability to drug addiction.

  12. Liposome-based drug delivery in breast cancer treatment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, John W

    2002-01-01

    Drug delivery systems can in principle provide enhanced efficacy and/or reduced toxicity for anticancer agents. Long circulating macromolecular carriers such as liposomes can exploit the 'enhanced permeability and retention' effect for preferential extravasation from tumor vessels. Liposomal anthracyclines have achieved highly efficient drug encapsulation, resulting in significant anticancer activity with reduced cardiotoxicity, and include versions with greatly prolonged circulation such as liposomal daunorubicin and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Pegylated liposomal doxorubucin has shown substantial efficacy in breast cancer treatment both as monotherapy and in combination with other chemotherapeutics. Additional liposome constructs are being developed for the delivery of other drugs. The next generation of delivery systems will include true molecular targeting; immunoliposomes and other ligand-directed constructs represent an integration of biological components capable of tumor recognition with delivery technologies

  13. The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia enables predictive modelling of anticancer drug sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barretina, Jordi; Caponigro, Giordano; Stransky, Nicolas; Venkatesan, Kavitha; Margolin, Adam A; Kim, Sungjoon; Wilson, Christopher J; Lehár, Joseph; Kryukov, Gregory V; Sonkin, Dmitriy; Reddy, Anupama; Liu, Manway; Murray, Lauren; Berger, Michael F; Monahan, John E; Morais, Paula; Meltzer, Jodi; Korejwa, Adam; Jané-Valbuena, Judit; Mapa, Felipa A; Thibault, Joseph; Bric-Furlong, Eva; Raman, Pichai; Shipway, Aaron; Engels, Ingo H; Cheng, Jill; Yu, Guoying K; Yu, Jianjun; Aspesi, Peter; de Silva, Melanie; Jagtap, Kalpana; Jones, Michael D; Wang, Li; Hatton, Charles; Palescandolo, Emanuele; Gupta, Supriya; Mahan, Scott; Sougnez, Carrie; Onofrio, Robert C; Liefeld, Ted; MacConaill, Laura; Winckler, Wendy; Reich, Michael; Li, Nanxin; Mesirov, Jill P; Gabriel, Stacey B; Getz, Gad; Ardlie, Kristin; Chan, Vivien; Myer, Vic E; Weber, Barbara L; Porter, Jeff; Warmuth, Markus; Finan, Peter; Harris, Jennifer L; Meyerson, Matthew; Golub, Todd R; Morrissey, Michael P; Sellers, William R; Schlegel, Robert; Garraway, Levi A

    2012-03-28

    The systematic translation of cancer genomic data into knowledge of tumour biology and therapeutic possibilities remains challenging. Such efforts should be greatly aided by robust preclinical model systems that reflect the genomic diversity of human cancers and for which detailed genetic and pharmacological annotation is available. Here we describe the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE): a compilation of gene expression, chromosomal copy number and massively parallel sequencing data from 947 human cancer cell lines. When coupled with pharmacological profiles for 24 anticancer drugs across 479 of the cell lines, this collection allowed identification of genetic, lineage, and gene-expression-based predictors of drug sensitivity. In addition to known predictors, we found that plasma cell lineage correlated with sensitivity to IGF1 receptor inhibitors; AHR expression was associated with MEK inhibitor efficacy in NRAS-mutant lines; and SLFN11 expression predicted sensitivity to topoisomerase inhibitors. Together, our results indicate that large, annotated cell-line collections may help to enable preclinical stratification schemata for anticancer agents. The generation of genetic predictions of drug response in the preclinical setting and their incorporation into cancer clinical trial design could speed the emergence of 'personalized' therapeutic regimens.

  14. The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia enables predictive modeling of anticancer drug sensitivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barretina, Jordi; Caponigro, Giordano; Stransky, Nicolas; Venkatesan, Kavitha; Margolin, Adam A.; Kim, Sungjoon; Wilson, Christopher J.; Lehár, Joseph; Kryukov, Gregory V.; Sonkin, Dmitriy; Reddy, Anupama; Liu, Manway; Murray, Lauren; Berger, Michael F.; Monahan, John E.; Morais, Paula; Meltzer, Jodi; Korejwa, Adam; Jané-Valbuena, Judit; Mapa, Felipa A.; Thibault, Joseph; Bric-Furlong, Eva; Raman, Pichai; Shipway, Aaron; Engels, Ingo H.; Cheng, Jill; Yu, Guoying K.; Yu, Jianjun; Aspesi, Peter; de Silva, Melanie; Jagtap, Kalpana; Jones, Michael D.; Wang, Li; Hatton, Charles; Palescandolo, Emanuele; Gupta, Supriya; Mahan, Scott; Sougnez, Carrie; Onofrio, Robert C.; Liefeld, Ted; MacConaill, Laura; Winckler, Wendy; Reich, Michael; Li, Nanxin; Mesirov, Jill P.; Gabriel, Stacey B.; Getz, Gad; Ardlie, Kristin; Chan, Vivien; Myer, Vic E.; Weber, Barbara L.; Porter, Jeff; Warmuth, Markus; Finan, Peter; Harris, Jennifer L.; Meyerson, Matthew; Golub, Todd R.; Morrissey, Michael P.; Sellers, William R.; Schlegel, Robert; Garraway, Levi A.

    2012-01-01

    The systematic translation of cancer genomic data into knowledge of tumor biology and therapeutic avenues remains challenging. Such efforts should be greatly aided by robust preclinical model systems that reflect the genomic diversity of human cancers and for which detailed genetic and pharmacologic annotation is available1. Here we describe the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE): a compilation of gene expression, chromosomal copy number, and massively parallel sequencing data from 947 human cancer cell lines. When coupled with pharmacologic profiles for 24 anticancer drugs across 479 of the lines, this collection allowed identification of genetic, lineage, and gene expression-based predictors of drug sensitivity. In addition to known predictors, we found that plasma cell lineage correlated with sensitivity to IGF1 receptor inhibitors; AHR expression was associated with MEK inhibitor efficacy in NRAS-mutant lines; and SLFN11 expression predicted sensitivity to topoisomerase inhibitors. Altogether, our results suggest that large, annotated cell line collections may help to enable preclinical stratification schemata for anticancer agents. The generation of genetic predictions of drug response in the preclinical setting and their incorporation into cancer clinical trial design could speed the emergence of “personalized” therapeutic regimens2. PMID:22460905

  15. Drugs Approved for Colon and Rectal Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in colon cancer and rectal cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters.

  16. Intrinsic fluorescence of the clinically approved multikinase inhibitor nintedanib reveals lysosomal sequestration as resistance mechanism in FGFR-driven lung cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Englinger, Bernhard; Kallus, Sebastian; Senkiv, Julia; Heilos, Daniela; Gabler, Lisa; van Schoonhoven, Sushilla; Terenzi, Alessio; Moser, Patrick; Pirker, Christine; Timelthaler, Gerald; Jäger, Walter; Kowol, Christian R; Heffeter, Petra; Grusch, Michael; Berger, Walter

    2017-09-07

    Studying the intracellular distribution of pharmacological agents, including anticancer compounds, is of central importance in biomedical research. It constitutes a prerequisite for a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying drug action and resistance development. Hyperactivated fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) constitute a promising therapy target in several types of malignancies including lung cancer. The clinically approved small-molecule FGFR inhibitor nintedanib exerts strong cytotoxicity in FGFR-driven lung cancer cells. However, subcellular pharmacokinetics of this compound and its impact on therapeutic efficacy remain obscure. 3-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy was conducted to asses cell-free nintedanib fluorescence properties. MTT assay was used to determine the impact of the lysosome-targeting agents bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine combined with nintedanib on lung cancer cell viability. Flow cytometry and live cell as well as confocal microscopy were performed to analyze uptake kinetics as well as subcellular distribution of nintedanib. Western blot was conducted to investigate protein expression. Cryosections of subcutaneous tumor allografts were generated to detect intratumoral nintedanib in mice after oral drug administration. Here, we report for the first time drug-intrinsic fluorescence properties of nintedanib in living and fixed cancer cells as well as in cryosections derived from allograft tumors of orally treated mice. Using this feature in conjunction with flow cytometry and confocal microscopy allowed to determine cellular drug accumulation levels, impact of the ABCB1 efflux pump and to uncover nintedanib trapping into lysosomes. Lysosomal sequestration - resulting in an organelle-specific and pH-dependent nintedanib fluorescence - was identified as an intrinsic resistance mechanism in FGFR-driven lung cancer cells. Accordingly, combination of nintedanib with agents compromising lysosomal acidification

  17. Multi-mutational model for cancer based on age-time patterns of radiation effects: 2. Biological aspects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mendelsohn, M.L.; Pierce, P.A.

    1997-09-04

    Biological properties of relevance when modeling cancers induced in the atom bomb survivors include the wide distribution of the induced cancers across all organs, their biological indistinguishability from background cancers, their rates being proportional to background cancer rates, their rates steadily increasing over at least 50 years as the survivors age, and their radiation dose response being linear. We have successfully described this array of properties with a modified Armitage-Doll model using 5 to 6 somatic mutations, no intermediate growth, and the dose-related replacement of any one of these time-driven mutations by a radiation-induced mutation. Such a model is contrasted to prevailing models that use fewer mutations combined with intervening growth. While the rationale and effectiveness of our model is compelling for carcinogenesis in the atom bomb survivors, the lack of a promotional component may limit the generality of the model for other types of human carcinogenesis.

  18. MEDICI: Mining Essentiality Data to Identify Critical Interactions for Cancer Drug Target Discovery and Development | Office of Cancer Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) mediate the transmission and regulation of oncogenic signals that are essential to cellular proliferation and survival, and thus represent potential targets for anti-cancer therapeutic discovery. Despite their significance, there is no method to experimentally disrupt and interrogate the essentiality of individual endogenous PPIs. The ability to computationally predict or infer PPI essentiality would help prioritize PPIs for drug discovery and help advance understanding of cancer biology.

  19. A New Strategy to Control and Eradicate "Undruggable" Oncogenic K-RAS-Driven Pancreatic Cancer: Molecular Insights and Core Principles Learned from Developmental and Evolutionary Biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Sciver, Robert E; Lee, Michael P; Lee, Caroline Dasom; Lafever, Alex C; Svyatova, Elizaveta; Kanda, Kevin; Colliver, Amber L; Siewertsz van Reesema, Lauren L; Tang-Tan, Angela M; Zheleva, Vasilena; Bwayi, Monicah N; Bian, Minglei; Schmidt, Rebecca L; Matrisian, Lynn M; Petersen, Gloria M; Tang, Amy H

    2018-05-14

    Oncogenic K-RAS mutations are found in virtually all pancreatic cancers, making K-RAS one of the most targeted oncoproteins for drug development in cancer therapies. Despite intense research efforts over the past three decades, oncogenic K-RAS has remained largely "undruggable". Rather than targeting an upstream component of the RAS signaling pathway (i.e., EGFR/HER2) and/or the midstream effector kinases (i.e., RAF/MEK/ERK/PI3K/mTOR), we propose an alternative strategy to control oncogenic K-RAS signal by targeting its most downstream signaling module, Seven-In-Absentia Homolog (SIAH). SIAH E3 ligase controls the signal output of oncogenic K-RAS hyperactivation that drives unchecked cell proliferation, uncontrolled tumor growth, and rapid cancer cell dissemination in human pancreatic cancer. Therefore, SIAH is an ideal therapeutic target as it is an extraordinarily conserved downstream signaling gatekeeper indispensable for proper RAS signaling. Guided by molecular insights and core principles obtained from developmental and evolutionary biology, we propose an anti-SIAH-centered anti-K-RAS strategy as a logical and alternative anticancer strategy to dampen uncontrolled K-RAS hyperactivation and halt tumor growth and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. The clinical utility of developing SIAH as both a tumor-specific and therapy-responsive biomarker, as well as a viable anti-K-RAS drug target, is logically simple and conceptually innovative. SIAH clearly constitutes a major tumor vulnerability and K-RAS signaling bottleneck in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Given the high degree of evolutionary conservation in the K-RAS/SIAH signaling pathway, an anti-SIAH-based anti-PDAC therapy will synergize with covalent K-RAS inhibitors and direct K-RAS targeted initiatives to control and eradicate pancreatic cancer in the future.

  20. Degree of Tissue Differentiation Dictates Susceptibility to BRAF-Driven Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin Tong

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Oncogenic mutations in BRAF are believed to initiate serrated colorectal cancers; however, the mechanisms of BRAF-driven colon cancer are unclear. We find that oncogenic BRAF paradoxically suppresses stem cell renewal and instead promotes differentiation. Correspondingly, tumor formation is inefficient in BRAF-driven mouse models of colon cancer. By reducing levels of differentiation via genetic manipulation of either of two distinct differentiation-promoting factors (Smad4 or Cdx2, stem cell activity is restored in BRAFV600E intestines, and the oncogenic capacity of BRAFV600E is amplified. In human patients, we observe that reduced levels of differentiation in normal tissue is associated with increased susceptibility to serrated colon tumors. Together, these findings help resolve the conditions necessary for BRAF-driven colon cancer initiation. Additionally, our results predict that genetic and/or environmental factors that reduce tissue differentiation will increase susceptibility to serrated colon cancer. These findings offer an opportunity to identify susceptible individuals by assessing their tissue-differentiation status.

  1. Drug delivery approaches for breast cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh SK

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Santosh Kumar Singh,1 Shriti Singh,2 James W Lillard Jr,1 Rajesh Singh1 1Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 2Department of Kriya Sharir, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India Abstract: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide. The controlled release of drugs to the precise site of the disease using a nanocarrier vehicle increases the therapeutic efficiency of the drugs. Nanotechnology-based approaches used to endorse clinical improvement from a disease also help to understand the interaction of malignant cells with their microenvironment. Receptor-based targeting is another approach for drug delivery which is undergoing clinical trials. Nanoparticles (NPs delivery has been proven to promise high loading capacity, less toxicity, and stability of the drugs or biomolecules compared to traditional chemotherapeutic drugs. The goal of this review is to present the current problems of breast cancer therapy and discuss the NP-based targeting to overcome the hurdles of conventional drug therapy approach. Keywords: breast cancer, nanoparticles, drug delivery systems

  2. Pancreatic cancer stromal biology and therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Dacheng; Xie, Keping

    2015-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies. Significant progresses have been made in understanding of pancreatic cancer pathogenesis, including appreciation of precursor lesions or premalignant pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanINs), description of sequential transformation from normal pancreatic tissue to invasive pancreatic cancer and identification of major genetic and epigenetic events and the biological impact of those events on malignant behavior. However, the currently used therapeutic strategies targeting tumor epithelial cells, which are potent in cell culture and animal models, have not been successful in the clinic. Presumably, therapeutic resistance of pancreatic cancer is at least in part due to its drastic desmoplasis, which is a defining hallmark for and circumstantially contributes to pancreatic cancer development and progression. Improved understanding of the dynamic interaction between cancer cells and the stroma is important to better understanding pancreatic cancer biology and to designing effective intervention strategies. This review focuses on the origination, evolution and disruption of stromal molecular and cellular components in pancreatic cancer, and their biological effects on pancreatic cancer pathogenesis. PMID:26114155

  3. 42 CFR 409.25 - Drugs, biologicals, supplies, appliances, and equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Drugs, biologicals, supplies, appliances, and... Drugs, biologicals, supplies, appliances, and equipment. (a) Drugs and biologicals. Except as specified... can obtain a continuing supply. (c) Supplies, appliances, and equipment. Except as specified in...

  4. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: time for innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucci, Marcello; Scagliotti, Giorgio Vittorio; Vignani, Francesca

    2015-01-01

    Androgen deprivation is the mainstay of advanced prostate cancer treatment. Despite initial responses, almost all patients progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The understanding of the biology of CRPC and the evidence that CRPC still remains driven by androgen receptor signaling led to the discovery of new therapeutic targets. In the last few years, large Phase III trials showed improvements in survival and outcomes and led to the approval of a CYP17 inhibitor (abiraterone), an androgen receptor antagonist (enzalutamide), the taxane cabazitaxel, an α-emitter (radium-223), the bone resorption-targeting drug denosumab and an immunotherapy (sipuleucel-T). This article describes the molecular mechanisms underlying castration resistance, discusses recent and ongoing trials and offers some insights into identifying the best sequence of new drugs.

  5. Structural Biology Meets Drug Resistance: An Overview on Multidrug Resistance Transporters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shaheen, Aqsa; Iqbal, Mazhar; Mirza, Osman

    2017-01-01

    . Research on the underlying causes of multidrug resistance in cancerous cells and later on in infectious bacteria revealed the involvement of integral membrane transporters, capable of recognizing a broad range of structurally different molecules as substrates and exporting them from the cell using cellular...... superfamilies, viz., ATP-binding cassette superfamily, major facilitator superfamily and resistance nodulation division superfamily are presented. Further, the future role of structural biology in improving our understanding of drug-transporter interactions and in designing novel inhibitors against MDR pump...... century, mankind has become aware and confronted with the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In parallel to the failure of antibiotic therapy against infectious pathogens, there had been continuous reports of cancerous cells not responding to chemotherapy with increase in the duration of therapy...

  6. Considerations for Pharmacoepidemiological Studies of Drug-Cancer Associations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pottegård, Anton; Friis, Søren; Stürmer, Til

    2018-01-01

    and future perspectives. Aspects of data sources include assessment of complete history of drug use and data on dose and duration of drug use, allowing estimates of cumulative exposure. Outcome data from formal cancer registries are preferable, but cancer data from other sources, for example, patient......In this MiniReview, we provide general considerations for the planning and conduct of pharmacoepidemiological studies of associations between drug use and cancer development. We address data sources, study design, assessment of drug exposure, ascertainment of cancer outcomes, confounder adjustment...... or pathology registries, medical records or claims are also suitable. The two principal designs for observational studies evaluating drug-cancer associations are the cohort and case-control designs. A key challenge in studies of drug-cancer associations is the exposure assessment due to the typically long...

  7. Auspicious role of the steroidal heterocyclic derivatives as a platform for anti-cancer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tantawy, Mohamed A; Nafie, Mohamed S; Elmegeed, Gamal A; Ali, Ibrahim A I

    2017-08-01

    Steroids are polycyclic compounds that have a wide range of biological activities. They are bio-synthesized from cholesterol through a series of enzyme-mediated transformations, so they are highly lipophilic and readily enter most cells to interact with intracellular receptors, making them ideal vehicles for targeting a broad array of pathologies. New curative agents for cancers have been developed from several steroidal derivatives. Some biologically important properties of modified steroids are dependent on structural features of the steroid moiety and their side chains. Therefore, chemical derivatization of steroids provides a way to modify their function, and many structure-activity relationships have been confirmed by such synthetic modifications. Several studies demonstrate that steroidal heterocyclic derivatives can be effective in the prevention and treatment of many types of hormone-dependent cancers. The present review is a concise report on steroidal heterocyclic derivatives, with special emphasis on steroid heterocyclic derivatives with 5 membered rings or six-membered rings having interesting therapeutic potential as enzyme inhibitors and cytotoxic drugs to be used as candidates for anti-cancer drug development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Urinary bladder cancer in dogs, a naturally occurring model for cancer biology and drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knapp, Deborah W; Ramos-Vara, José A; Moore, George E; Dhawan, Deepika; Bonney, Patty L; Young, Kirsten E

    2014-01-01

    Each year more than 65,000 people are diagnosed with urinary bladder cancer, and more than 14,000 people die from the disease in the United States. Studies in relevant animal models are essential to improve the management of bladder cancer. Naturally occurring bladder cancer in dogs very closely mimics human invasive bladder cancer, specifically high-grade invasive transitional cell carcinoma (TCC; also referred to as invasive urothelial carcinoma) in cellular and molecular features; biological behavior, including sites and frequency of metastasis; and response to therapy. Canine bladder cancer complements experimentally induced rodent tumors in regard to animal models of bladder cancer. Results of cellular and molecular studies and -omics analyses in dogs are expected to lead to improved detection of TCC and preneoplastic lesions, earlier intervention, better prediction of patient outcome, and more effective TCC management overall. Studies in dogs are being used to help define heritable risks (through very strong breed-associated risk) and environment risks and to evaluate prevention and treatment approaches that benefit humans as well as dogs. Clinical treatment trials in pet dogs with TCC are considered a win-win scenario by clinician scientists and pet owners. The individual dog benefits from effective treatment, the results are expected to help other dogs, and the findings are expected to ultimately help humans with TCC. This article provides an overview of canine TCC, a summary of the similarities and differences between canine and human invasive TCC, and examples of the types of valuable translational research that can be done using dogs with naturally occurring TCC. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Biological response of cancer cells to radiation treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajamanickam eBaskar

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and has the ability to spread or metastasize throughout the body. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made towards the understanding of proposed hallmarks of cancer development, care and treatment modalities. Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is an important and integral component of cancer management, mostly conferring a survival benefit. Radiation therapy destroys cancer by depositing high-energy radiation on the cancer tissues. Over the years, radiation therapy has been driven by constant technological advances and approximately 50% of all patients with localized malignant tumors are treated with radiation at some point in the course of their disease. In radiation oncology, research and development in the last three decades has led to considerable improvement in our understanding of the differential responses of normal and cancer cells. The biological effectiveness of radiation depends on the linear energy transfer (LET, total dose, number of fractions and radiosensitivity of the targeted cells or tissues. Radiation can either directly or indirectly (by producing free radicals damages the genome of the cell. This has been challenged in recent years by a newly identified phenomenon known as radiation induced bystander effect (RIBE. In RIBE, the non-irradiated cells adjacent to or located far from the irradiated cells/tissues demonstrate similar responses to that of the directly irradiated cells. Understanding the cancer cell responses during the fractions or after the course of irradiation will lead to improvements in therapeutic efficacy and potentially, benefitting a significant proportion of cancer patients. In this review, the clinical implications of radiation induced direct and bystander effects on the cancer cell are discussed.

  10. Essential drugs for cancer chemotherapy. WHO consultation.

    OpenAIRE

    1994-01-01

    The WHO recommendation on essential drugs for cancer chemotherapy has been updated. General principles on the proper role of cancer chemotherapeutic agents in relation to efficacy and on the classification of tumours with respect to their curative potential are discussed. Curable cancers and those cancers where the cost-benefit ratio clearly favours drug treatment can be managed appropriately based on only 24 drugs. Fourteen of them should ideally be available for the treatment of the ten mos...

  11. Prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions in cancer patients treated with oral anticancer drugs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Leeuwen, R. W. F.; Brundel, D. H. S.; Neef, C.; van Gelder, T.; Mathijssen, R. H. J.; Burger, D. M.; Jansman, F. G. A.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs) in patients with cancer are common, but have not previously been quantified for oral anticancer treatment. We assessed the prevalence and seriousness of potential PDDIs among ambulatory cancer patients on oral anticancer treatment. Methods: A

  12. Prevalence of potential drug-drug interactions in cancer patients treated with oral anticancer drugs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.W.F. van Leeuwen (Roelof); D.H.S. Brundel (D. H S); C. Neef (Cees); T. van Gelder (Teun); A.H.J. Mathijssen (Ron); D.M. Burger (David); F.G.A. Jansman (Frank)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs) in patients with cancer are common, but have not previously been quantified for oral anticancer treatment. We assessed the prevalence and seriousness of potential PDDIs among ambulatory cancer patients on oral anticancer treatment.

  13. Chemical dissection of the cell cycle: probes for cell biology and anti-cancer drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senese, S; Lo, Y C; Huang, D; Zangle, T A; Gholkar, A A; Robert, L; Homet, B; Ribas, A; Summers, M K; Teitell, M A; Damoiseaux, R; Torres, J Z

    2014-10-16

    Cancer cell proliferation relies on the ability of cancer cells to grow, transition through the cell cycle, and divide. To identify novel chemical probes for dissecting the mechanisms governing cell cycle progression and cell division, and for developing new anti-cancer therapeutics, we developed and performed a novel cancer cell-based high-throughput chemical screen for cell cycle modulators. This approach identified novel G1, S, G2, and M-phase specific inhibitors with drug-like properties and diverse chemotypes likely targeting a broad array of processes. We further characterized the M-phase inhibitors and highlight the most potent M-phase inhibitor MI-181, which targets tubulin, inhibits tubulin polymerization, activates the spindle assembly checkpoint, arrests cells in mitosis, and triggers a fast apoptotic cell death. Importantly, MI-181 has broad anti-cancer activity, especially against BRAF(V600E) melanomas.

  14. Learning from biology: synthetic lipoproteins for drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Huang; Cruz, William; Chen, Juan; Zheng, Gang

    2015-01-01

    Synthetic lipoproteins represent a relevant tool for targeted delivery of biological/chemical agents (chemotherapeutics, siRNAs, photosensitizers, and imaging contrast agents) into various cell types. These nanoparticles offer a number of advantages for drugs delivery over their native counterparts while retaining their natural characteristics and biological functions. Their ultra-small size (lipoprotein receptors, i.e., low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and Scavenger receptor class B member 1 (SRB1) that are found in a number of pathological conditions (e.g., cancer, atherosclerosis), make them superior delivery strategies when compared with other nanoparticle systems. We review the various approaches that have been developed for the generation of synthetic lipoproteins and their respective applications in vitro and in vivo. More specifically, we summarize the approaches employed to address the limitation on use of reconstituted lipoproteins by means of natural or recombinant apolipoproteins, as well as apolipoprotein mimetic molecules. Finally, we provide an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches and discuss future perspectives for clinical translation of these nanoparticles. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy: a novel strategy in drug development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan eStenvang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and matters are only set to worsen as its incidence continues to rise. Traditional approaches to combat cancer include improved prevention, early diagnosis, optimized surgery, development of novel drugs and honing regimens of existing anti-cancer drugs. Although discovery and development of novel and effective anti-cancer drugs is a major research area, it is well known that oncology drug development is a lengthy process, extremely costly and with high attrition rates. Furthermore, those drugs that do make it through the drug development mill are often quite expensive, laden with severe side-effects and, unfortunately, to date, have only demonstrated minimal increases in overall survival. Therefore, a strong interest has emerged to identify approved non-cancer drugs that possess anti-cancer activity, thus shortcutting the development process. This research strategy is commonly known as drug repurposing or drug repositioning and provides a faster path to the clinics. We have developed and implemented a modification of the standard drug repurposing strategy that we review here; rather than investigating target-promiscuous non-cancer drugs for possible anti-cancer activity, we focus on the discovery of novel cancer indications for already approved chemotherapeutic anti-cancer drugs. Clinical implementation of this strategy is normally commenced at clinical phase II trials and includes pre-treated patients. As the response rates to any non-standard chemotherapeutic drug will be relatively low in such a patient cohort it is a pre-requisite that such testing is based on predictive biomarkers. This review describes our strategy of biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy, taking the repurposing of topoisomerase I inhibitors and topoisomerase I as a potential predictive biomarker as case in point.

  16. Bone effects of biologic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corrado, Addolorata; Neve, Anna; Maruotti, Nicola; Cantatore, Francesco Paolo

    2013-01-01

    Biologic agents used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are able to reduce both disease activity and radiographic progression of joint disease. These drugs are directed against several proinflammatory cytokines (TNF α , IL-6, and IL-1) which are involved both in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammation and progression of joint structural damage and in systemic and local bone loss typically observed in RA. However, the role of biologic drugs in preventing bone loss in clinical practice has not yet clearly assessed. Many clinical studies showed a trend to a positive effect of biologic agents in preventing systemic bone loss observed in RA. Although the suppression of inflammation is the main goal in the treatment of RA and the anti-inflammatory effects of biologic drugs exert a positive effect on bone metabolism, the exact relationship between the prevention of bone loss and control of inflammation has not been clearly established, and if the available biologic drugs against TNF α , IL-1, and IL-6 can exert their effect on systemic and local bone loss also through a direct mechanism on bone cell metabolism is still to be clearly defined.

  17. Texosome-based drug delivery system for cancer therapy: from past to present

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahmoodzadeh Hosseini, Hamideh; Halabian, Raheleh; Amin, Mohsen; Imani Fooladi, Abbas Ali

    2015-01-01

    Rising worldwide cancer incidence and resistance to current anti-cancer drugs necessitate the need for new pharmaceutical compounds and drug delivery system. Malfunction of the immune system, particularly in the tumor microenvironment, causes tumor growth and enhances tumor progression. Thus, cancer immunotherapy can be an appropriate approach to provoke the systemic immune system to combat tumor expansion. Texosomes, which are endogenous nanovesicles released by all tumor cells, contribute to cell-cell communication and modify the phenotypic features of recipient cells due to the texosomes’ ability to transport biological components. For this reason, texosome-based delivery system can be a valuable strategy for therapeutic purposes. To improve the pharmaceutical behavior of this system and to facilitate its use in medical applications, biotechnology approaches and mimetic techniques have been utilized. In this review, we present the development history of texosome-based delivery systems and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system

  18. Two problems in multiphase biological flows: Blood flow and particulate transport in microvascular network, and pseudopod-driven motility of amoeboid cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagchi, Prosenjit

    2016-11-01

    In this talk, two problems in multiphase biological flows will be discussed. The first is the direct numerical simulation of whole blood and drug particulates in microvascular networks. Blood in microcirculation behaves as a dense suspension of heterogeneous cells. The erythrocytes are extremely deformable, while inactivated platelets and leukocytes are nearly rigid. A significant progress has been made in recent years in modeling blood as a dense cellular suspension. However, many of these studies considered the blood flow in simple geometry, e.g., straight tubes of uniform cross-section. In contrast, the architecture of a microvascular network is very complex with bifurcating, merging and winding vessels, posing a further challenge to numerical modeling. We have developed an immersed-boundary-based method that can consider blood cell flow in physiologically realistic and complex microvascular network. In addition to addressing many physiological issues related to network hemodynamics, this tool can be used to optimize the transport properties of drug particulates for effective organ-specific delivery. Our second problem is pseudopod-driven motility as often observed in metastatic cancer cells and other amoeboid cells. We have developed a multiscale hydrodynamic model to simulate such motility. We study the effect of cell stiffness on motility as the former has been considered as a biomarker for metastatic potential. Funded by the National Science Foundation.

  19. Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel folic acid receptor-targeted, β-cyclodextrin-based drug complexes for cancer treatment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan-Juan Yin

    Full Text Available Drug targeting is an active area of research and nano-scaled drug delivery systems hold tremendous potential for the treatment of neoplasms. In this study, a novel cyclodextrin (CD-based nanoparticle drug delivery system has been assembled and characterized for the therapy of folate receptor-positive [FR(+] cancer. Water-soluble folic acid (FA-conjugated CD carriers (FACDs were successfully synthesized and their structures were confirmed by 1D/2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MALDI-TOF-MS, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, and circular dichroism. Drug complexes of adamatane (Ada and cytotoxic doxorubicin (Dox with FACD were readily obtained by mixed solvent precipitation. The average size of FACD-Ada-Dox was 1.5-2.5 nm. The host-guest association constant K a was 1,639 M(-1 as determined by induced circular dichroism and the hydrophilicity of the FACDs was greatly enhanced compared to unmodified CD. Cellular uptake and FR binding competitive experiments demonstrated an efficient and preferentially targeted delivery of Dox into FR-positive tumor cells and a sustained drug release profile was seen in vitro. The delivery of Dox into FR(+ cancer cells via endocytosis was observed by confocal microscopy and drug uptake of the targeted nanoparticles was 8-fold greater than that of non-targeted drug complexes. Our docking results suggest that FA, FACD and FACD-Ada-Dox could bind human hedgehog interacting protein that contains a FR domain. Mouse cardiomyocytes as well as fibroblast treated with FACD-Ada-Dox had significantly lower levels of reactive oxygen species, with increased content of glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activity, indicating a reduced potential for Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. These results indicate that the targeted drug complex possesses high drug association and sustained drug release

  20. Blocking anaplerotic entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle sensitizes K-Ras mutant cancer cells to cytotoxic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saqcena, M; Mukhopadhyay, S; Hosny, C; Alhamed, A; Chatterjee, A; Foster, D A

    2015-05-14

    Cancer cells undergo a metabolic transformation that allows for increased anabolic demands, wherein glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates are shunted away for the synthesis of biological molecules required for cell growth and division. One of the key shunts is the exit of citrate from the mitochondria and the TCA cycle for the generation of cytosolic acetyl-coenzyme A that can be used for fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis. With the loss of mitochondrial citrate, cancer cells rely on the 'conditionally essential' amino acid glutamine (Q) as an anaplerotic carbon source for TCA cycle intermediates. Although Q deprivation causes G1 cell cycle arrest in non-transformed cells, its impact on the cancer cell cycle is not well characterized. We report here a correlation between bypass of the Q-dependent G1 checkpoint and cancer cells harboring K-Ras mutations. Instead of arresting in G1 in response to Q-deprivation, K-Ras-driven cancer cells arrest in either S- or G2/M-phase. Inhibition of K-Ras effector pathways was able to revert cells to G1 arrest upon Q deprivation. Blocking anaplerotic utilization of Q mimicked Q deprivation--causing S- and G2/M-phase arrest in K-Ras mutant cancer cells. Significantly, Q deprivation or suppression of anaplerotic Q utilization created synthetic lethality to the cell cycle phase-specific cytotoxic drugs, capecitabine and paclitaxel. These data suggest that disabling of the G1 Q checkpoint could represent a novel vulnerability of cancer cells harboring K-Ras and possibly other mutations that disable the Q-dependent checkpoint.

  1. Perturbation biology nominates upstream-downstream drug combinations in RAF inhibitor resistant melanoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korkut, Anil; Wang, Weiqing; Demir, Emek; Aksoy, Bülent Arman; Jing, Xiaohong; Molinelli, Evan J; Babur, Özgün; Bemis, Debra L; Onur Sumer, Selcuk; Solit, David B; Pratilas, Christine A; Sander, Chris

    2015-08-18

    Resistance to targeted cancer therapies is an important clinical problem. The discovery of anti-resistance drug combinations is challenging as resistance can arise by diverse escape mechanisms. To address this challenge, we improved and applied the experimental-computational perturbation biology method. Using statistical inference, we build network models from high-throughput measurements of molecular and phenotypic responses to combinatorial targeted perturbations. The models are computationally executed to predict the effects of thousands of untested perturbations. In RAF-inhibitor resistant melanoma cells, we measured 143 proteomic/phenotypic entities under 89 perturbation conditions and predicted c-Myc as an effective therapeutic co-target with BRAF or MEK. Experiments using the BET bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 affecting the level of c-Myc protein and protein kinase inhibitors targeting the ERK pathway confirmed the prediction. In conclusion, we propose an anti-cancer strategy of co-targeting a specific upstream alteration and a general downstream point of vulnerability to prevent or overcome resistance to targeted drugs.

  2. Drug-resistant colon cancer cells produce high carcinoembryonic antigen and might not be cancer-initiating cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee HC

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Hsin-chung Lee,1,2 Qing-Dong Ling,1,3 Wan-Chun Yu,4 Chunh-Ming Hung,4 Ta-Chun Kao,4 Yi-Wei Huang,4 Akon Higuchi3–51Graduate Institute of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, National Central University, Jhongli, Taoyuan, 2Department of Surgery, Cathay General Hospital, Da'an District, Taipei, 3Cathay Medical Research Institute, Cathay General Hospital, Hsi-Chi City, Taipei, 4Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Central University, Jhongli, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 5Department of Reproduction, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Okura, Tokyo, JapanPurpose: We evaluated the higher levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA secreted by the LoVo human colon carcinoma cells in a medium containing anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells were analyzed by subcutaneously xenotransplanting them into mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the drug-resistant cells isolated in this study were cancer-initiating cells, known also as cancer stem cells (CSCs.Methods: The production of CEA was investigated in LoVo cells that were cultured with 0–10 mM of anticancer drugs, and we evaluated the increase in CEA production by the LoVo cells that were stimulated by anticancer drug treatment. The expression of several CSC markers in LoVo cells treated with anticancer drugs was also evaluated. Following anticancer drug treatment, LoVo cells were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of severe combined immunodeficiency mice in order to evaluate the CSC fraction.Results: Production of CEA by LoVo cells was stimulated by the addition of anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells expressed lower levels of CSC markers, and LoVo cells treated with any of the anticancer drugs tested did not generate tumors within 8 weeks from when the cells were injected subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. These results suggest that the drug-resistant LoVo cells have a smaller population of CSCs than the

  3. Biology of cancer and cancer radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarin, R.; Prasad, D.

    2005-01-01

    It is evident that the better understanding of cancer biology coupled with technological advances have enabled clinicians to provide better care and more cures to their patients. However, most advanced cancers are not cured with the present methods of treatment and this provides the impetus for vigorous efforts for basic, translational and clinical research, and to develop, test and disseminate novel or cost effective technology

  4. Patient access to new cancer drugs in the United States and Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Andrew; Cohen, Joshua

    2011-01-01

    In light of the current debate on the use value and potential impact of comparative effectiveness research on patient access, it may prove insightful to compare a health-care system that systematically bases its reimbursement decisions on comparative effectiveness evidence with the United States (US) system that hitherto has only been informed by such evidence on an ad hoc basis. For a set of 2000-2009 approved new molecular entities and biologics indicated for cancer, we compared patient access between US Medicare and Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) beneficiaries. Here, access is defined in terms of marketing availability, payer coverage, and patient out-of-pocket costs. Although 34 drugs and biologics were approved for cancer in the US, just more than one-third (35%) were ultimately covered by the Australian PBS. The PBS also placed more restrictions on use. On the other hand, prices and patient out-of-pocket costs were greater for the US Medicare population. Our analysis points to a possible trade-off in market access to oncology drugs. Although more oncology drugs are available in the US and a higher percentage of available drugs are covered, the evidence-based approach adopted by Australia has contributed to reduced prices, thereby improving affordability for payers and patients for those medications deemed cost-effective by the reimbursement authority. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Promoting Value, Affordability, and Innovation in Cancer Drug Treatment - The Rising Cost of Cancer Drugs: Impact on Patients and Society

    Science.gov (United States)

    Innovative new drugs have improved outcomes for many cancer patients. But spending on cancer drugs has increased dramatically in recent years, placing a burden on cancer patients and a strain on health system and societal resources.

  6. Deciphering cancer heterogeneity: the biological space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephanie eRoessler

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Most lethal solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC are considered incurable due to extensive heterogeneity in clinical presentation and tumor biology. Tumor heterogeneity may result from different cells of origin, patient ethnicity, etiology, underlying disease and diversity of genomic and epigenomic changes which drive tumor development. Cancer genomic heterogeneity thereby impedes treatment options and poses a significant challenge to cancer management. Studies of the HCC genome have revealed that although various genomic signatures identified in different HCC subgroups share a common prognosis, each carries unique molecular changes which are linked to different sets of cancer hallmarks whose misregulation has been proposed by Hanahan and Weinberg to be essential for tumorigenesis. We hypothesize that these specific sets of cancer hallmarks collectively occupy different tumor biological space representing the misregulation of different biological processes. In principle, a combination of different cancer hallmarks can result in new convergent molecular networks that are unique to each tumor subgroup and represent ideal druggable targets. Due to the ability of the tumor to adapt to external factors such as treatment or changes in the tumor microenvironment, the tumor biological space is elastic. Our ability to identify distinct groups of cancer patients with similar tumor biology who are most likely to respond to a specific therapy would have a significant impact on improving patient outcome. It is currently a challenge to identify a particular hallmark or a newly emerged convergent molecular network for a particular tumor. Thus, it is anticipated that the integration of multiple levels of data such as genomic mutations, somatic copy number aberration, gene expression, proteomics, and metabolomics, may help us grasp the tumor biological space occupied by each individual, leading to improved therapeutic intervention and outcome.

  7. Mathematical modeling for novel cancer drug discovery and development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ping; Brusic, Vladimir

    2014-10-01

    Mathematical modeling enables: the in silico classification of cancers, the prediction of disease outcomes, optimization of therapy, identification of promising drug targets and prediction of resistance to anticancer drugs. In silico pre-screened drug targets can be validated by a small number of carefully selected experiments. This review discusses the basics of mathematical modeling in cancer drug discovery and development. The topics include in silico discovery of novel molecular drug targets, optimization of immunotherapies, personalized medicine and guiding preclinical and clinical trials. Breast cancer has been used to demonstrate the applications of mathematical modeling in cancer diagnostics, the identification of high-risk population, cancer screening strategies, prediction of tumor growth and guiding cancer treatment. Mathematical models are the key components of the toolkit used in the fight against cancer. The combinatorial complexity of new drugs discovery is enormous, making systematic drug discovery, by experimentation, alone difficult if not impossible. The biggest challenges include seamless integration of growing data, information and knowledge, and making them available for a multiplicity of analyses. Mathematical models are essential for bringing cancer drug discovery into the era of Omics, Big Data and personalized medicine.

  8. Cyclodextrin-Modified Porous Silicon Nanoparticles for Efficient Sustained Drug Delivery and Proliferation Inhibition of Breast Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Correia, Alexandra; Shahbazi, Mohammad-Ali; Mäkilä, Ermei; Almeida, Sérgio; Salonen, Jarno; Hirvonen, Jouni; Santos, Hélder A

    2015-10-21

    Over the past decade, the potential of polymeric structures has been investigated to overcome many limitations related to nanosized drug carriers by modulating their toxicity, cellular interactions, stability, and drug-release kinetics. In this study, we have developed a successful nanocomposite consisting of undecylenic acid modified thermally hydrocarbonized porous silicon nanoparticles (UnTHCPSi NPs) loaded with an anticancer drug, sorafenib, and surface-conjugated with heptakis(6-amino-6-deoxy)-β-cyclodextrin (HABCD) to show the impact of the surface polymeric functionalization on the physical and biological properties of the drug-loaded nanoparticles. Cytocompatibility studies showed that the UnTHCPSi-HABCD NPs were not toxic to breast cancer cells. HABCD also enhanced the suspensibility and both the colloidal and plasma stabilities of the UnTHCPSi NPs. UnTHCPSi-HABCD NPs showed a significantly increased interaction with breast cancer cells compared to bare NPs and also sustained the drug release. Furthermore, the sorafenib-loaded UnTHCPSi-HABCD NPs efficiently inhibited cell proliferation of the breast cancer cells.

  9. Smart Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unsoy, Gozde; Gunduz, Ufuk

    2018-02-08

    Smart nanocarriers have been designed for tissue-specific targeted drug delivery, sustained or triggered drug release and co-delivery of synergistic drug combinations to develop safer and more efficient therapeutics. Advances in drug delivery systems provide reduced side effects, longer circulation half-life and improved pharmacokinetics. Smart drug delivery systems have been achieved successfully in the case of cancer. These nanocarriers can serve as an intelligent system by considering the differences of tumor microenvironment from healthy tissue, such as low pH, low oxygen level, or high enzymatic activity of matrix metalloproteinases. The performance of anti-cancer agents used in cancer diagnosis and therapy is improved by enhanced cellular internalization of smart nanocarriers and controlled drug release. Here, we review targeting, cellular internalization; controlled drug release and toxicity of smart drug delivery systems. We are also emphasizing the stimulus responsive controlled drug release from smart nanocarriers. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  10. Pathological and Biological Aspects of Colorectal Cancer Treatment.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gosens, M.J.E.M.

    2008-01-01

    Pathological and biological aspects of colorectal cancer treatment. This thesis describes several pathological and biological aspects of colorectal cancer treatment. Different patient populations were investigated including patients with mobile rectal cancer enrolled in the Dutch TME trial, patients

  11. Androgen receptor variation affects prostate cancer progression and drug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCrea, Edel; Sissung, Tristan M; Price, Douglas K; Chau, Cindy H; Figg, William D

    2016-12-01

    Significant therapeutic progress has been made in treating prostate cancer in recent years. Drugs such as enzalutamide, abiraterone, and cabazitaxel have expanded the treatment armamentarium, although it is not completely clear which of these drugs are the most-effective option for individual patients. Moreover, such advances have been tempered by the development of therapeutic resistance. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current literature pertaining to the biochemical effects of AR variants and their consequences on prostate cancer therapies at both the molecular level and in clinical treatment. We address how these AR splice variants and mutations affect tumor progression and therapeutic resistance and discuss potential novel therapeutic strategies under development. It is hoped that these therapies can be administered with increasing precision as tumor genotyping methods become more sophisticated, thereby lending clinicians a better understanding of the underlying biology of prostate tumors in individual patients. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Inhaled Micro/Nanoparticulate Anticancer Drug Formulations: An Emerging Targeted Drug Delivery Strategy for Lung Cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, Nazrul; Richard, Derek

    2018-05-24

    Local delivery of drug to the target organ via inhalation offers enormous benefits in the management of many diseases. Lung cancer is the most common of all cancers and it is the leading cause of death worldwide. Currently available treatment systems (intravenous or oral drug delivery) are not efficient in accumulating the delivered drug into the target tumor cells and are usually associated with various systemic and dose-related adverse effects. The pulmonary drug delivery technology would enable preferential accumulation of drug within the cancer cell and thus be superior to intravenous and oral delivery in reducing cancer cell proliferation and minimising the systemic adverse effects. Site-specific drug delivery via inhalation for the treatment of lung cancer is both feasible and efficient. The inhaled drug delivery system is non-invasive, produces high bioavailability at low dose and avoids first pass metabolism of the delivered drug. Various anticancer drugs including chemotherapeutics, proteins and genes have been investigated for inhalation in lung cancers with significant outcomes. Pulmonary delivery of drugs from dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulation is stable and has high patient compliance. Herein, we report the potential of pulmonary drug delivery from dry powder inhaler (DPI) formulations inhibiting lung cancer cell proliferation at very low dose with reduced unwanted adverse effects. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  13. Virosome, a hybrid vehicle for efficient and safe drug delivery and its emerging application in cancer treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hanqing; Tu, Zhigang; Feng, Fan; Shi, Haifeng; Chen, Keping; Xu, Ximing

    2015-06-01

    A virosome is an innovative hybrid drug delivery system with advantages of both viral and non-viral vectors. Studies have shown that a virosome can carry various biologically active molecules, such as nucleic acids, peptides, proteins and small organic molecules. Targeted drug delivery using virosome-based systems can be achieved through surface modifications of virosomes. A number of virosome-based prophylactic and therapeutic products with high safety profiles are currently available in the market. Cancer treatment is a big battlefield for virosome-based drug delivery systems. This review provides an overview of the general concept, preparation procedures, working mechanisms, preclinical studies and clinical applications of virosomes in cancer treatment.

  14. A systematic study on drug-response associated genes using baseline gene expressions of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaoming; Yang, Jiasheng; Zhang, Yi; Fang, Yun; Wang, Fayou; Wang, Jun; Zheng, Xiaoqi; Yang, Jialiang

    2016-03-01

    We have studied drug-response associated (DRA) gene expressions by applying a systems biology framework to the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia data. More than 4,000 genes are inferred to be DRA for at least one drug, while the number of DRA genes for each drug varies dramatically from almost 0 to 1,226. Functional enrichment analysis shows that the DRA genes are significantly enriched in genes associated with cell cycle and plasma membrane. Moreover, there might be two patterns of DRA genes between genders. There are significantly shared DRA genes between male and female for most drugs, while very little DRA genes tend to be shared between the two genders for a few drugs targeting sex-specific cancers (e.g., PD-0332991 for breast cancer and ovarian cancer). Our analyses also show substantial difference for DRA genes between young and old samples, suggesting the necessity of considering the age effects for personalized medicine in cancers. Lastly, differential module and key driver analyses confirm cell cycle related modules as top differential ones for drug sensitivity. The analyses also reveal the role of TSPO, TP53, and many other immune or cell cycle related genes as important key drivers for DRA network modules. These key drivers provide new drug targets to improve the sensitivity of cancer therapy.

  15. Financial Toxicity of Cancer Drugs: Possible Remedies from an Ethical Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marckmann, Georg; In der Schmitten, Jürgen

    2017-05-01

    Spiraling costs of cancer treatments have become a major concern for the payers in the health care system and for individual patients suffering from the cancer drugs' financial toxicity. This article discusses possible solutions from an ethical perspective. First, it gives some orientation about what constitutes a fair price for innovative anticancer agents. While a definitive answer remains difficult, there are good reasons to enter into price negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies to align the price with the R&D costs and the added value of the product. Information about the drug's cost-effectiveness should be available, a fixed threshold, however, seems ethically problematic. Rather, a 'signal cost-effectiveness threshold' should indicate when the drug price requires special justification. Further strategies include an improved benefit assessment after market authorization by independent publicly financed studies, which will provide a valid basis for price negotiations and clinical decision-making at the micro level. Last but not least, cancer treatments should be tailored not only to the biology of the tumor but also to the preferences of the patient. Primarily mandated by the respect for autonomy, promoting patient-centered care has the potential to improve quality of care and enable a wise use of scarce health care resources.

  16. Biophotonic techniques for manipulation and characterization of drug delivery nanosystems in cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spyratou, E; Makropoulou, M; Mourelatou, E A; Demetzos, C

    2012-12-31

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are usually involved in two opposite procedures related to cancer: initiation, progression and metastasis of cancer, as well as in all non-surgical therapeutic approaches for cancer, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy. This review is concentrated in new therapeutic strategies that take advantage of increased ROS in cancer cells to enhance therapeutic activity and selectivity. Novel biophotonic techniques for manipulation and characterization of drug delivery nanosystems in cancer therapy are discussed, including optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy. This review highlights how these techniques are playing a critical role in recent and future cancer fighting applications. We can conclude that Biophotonics and nanomedicine are the future for cancer biology and disease management, possessing unique potential for early detection, accurate diagnosis, dosimetry and personalized treatment of biomedical applications targeting cancer. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes in infectious and inflammatory disease: implications for biologics-small molecule drug interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallick, Pankajini; Taneja, Guncha; Moorthy, Bhagavatula; Ghose, Romi

    2017-06-01

    Drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) are primarily down-regulated during infectious and inflammatory diseases, leading to disruption in the metabolism of small molecule drugs (smds), which are increasingly being prescribed therapeutically in combination with biologics for a number of chronic diseases. The biologics may exert pro- or anti-inflammatory effect, which may in turn affect the expression/activity of DMEs. Thus, patients with infectious/inflammatory diseases undergoing biologic/smd treatment can have complex changes in DMEs due to combined effects of the disease and treatment. Areas covered: We will discuss clinical biologics-SMD interaction and regulation of DMEs during infection and inflammatory diseases. Mechanistic studies will be discussed and consequences on biologic-small molecule combination therapy on disease outcome due to changes in drug metabolism will be highlighted. Expert opinion: The involvement of immunomodulatory mediators in biologic-SMDs is well known. Regulatory guidelines recommend appropriate in vitro or in vivo assessments for possible interactions. The role of cytokines in biologic-SMDs has been documented. However, the mechanisms of drug-drug interactions is much more complex, and is probably multi-factorial. Studies aimed at understanding the mechanism by which biologics effect the DMEs during inflammation/infection are clinically important.

  18. Mathematical models in cell biology and cancer chemotherapy

    CERN Document Server

    Eisen, Martin

    1979-01-01

    The purpose of this book is to show how mathematics can be applied to improve cancer chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most drugs used in treating cancer kill both normal and abnormal cells. However, more cancer cells than normal cells can be destroyed by the drug because tumor cells usually exhibit different growth kinetics than normal cells. To capitalize on this last fact, cell kinetics must be studied by formulating mathematical models of normal and abnormal cell growth. These models allow the therapeutic and harmful effects of cancer drugs to be simulated quantitatively. The combined cell and drug models can be used to study the effects of different methods of administering drugs. The least harmful method of drug administration, according to a given criterion, can be found by applying optimal control theory. The prerequisites for reading this book are an elementary knowledge of ordinary differential equations, probability, statistics, and linear algebra. In order to make this book self-contained, a chapter on...

  19. Cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma: Therapeutic implications based on stem cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiba, Tetsuhiro; Iwama, Atsushi; Yokosuka, Osamu

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer and the third most frequent cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Despite advances in its diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of patients with advanced HCC remains unfavorable. Recent advances in stem cell biology and associated technologies have enabled the identification of minor components of tumorigenic cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor-initiating cells, in cancers such as HCC. Furthermore, because CSC play a central role in tumor development, metastasis and recurrence, they are considered to be a therapeutic target in cancer treatment. Hepatic CSC have been successfully identified using functional and cell surface markers. The analysis of purified hepatic CSC has revealed the molecular machinery and signaling pathways involved in their maintenance. In addition, epigenetic transcriptional regulation has been shown to be important in the development and maintenance of CSC. Although inhibitors of CSC show promise as CSC-targeting drugs, novel therapeutic approaches for the eradication of CSC are yet to be established. In this review, we describe recent progress in hepatic CSC research and provide a perspective on the available therapeutic approaches based on stem cell biology. © 2015 The Japan Society of Hepatology.

  20. Drugs Approved for Ovarian, Fallopian Tube, or Primary Peritoneal Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    This page lists cancer drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ovarian cancer. The list includes generic names, brand names, and common drug combinations, which are shown in capital letters. The drug names link to NCI's Cancer Drug Information summaries.

  1. Dose critical in-vivo detection of anti-cancer drug levels in blood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Holly H.; Hirschfeld, deceased, Tomas B.

    1991-01-01

    A method and apparatus are disclosed for the in vivo and in vitro detection and measurement of dose critical levels of DNA-binding anti-cancer drug levels in biological fluids. The apparatus comprises a laser based fiber optic sensor (optrode) which utilizes the secondary interactions between the drug and an intercalating fluorochrome bound to a probe DNA, which in turn is attached to the fiber tip at one end thereof. The other end of the optical fiber is attached to an illumination source, detector and recorder. The fluorescence intensity is measured as a function of the drug concentration and its binding constant to the probe DNA. Anticancer drugs which lend themselves to analysis by the use of the method and the optrode of the present invention include doxorubicin, daunorubicin, carminomycin, aclacinomycin, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-uracil, arabinosyl cytosine, mitomycin, cis-platinum 11 diamine dichloride procarbazine, vinblastine vincristine and the like. The present method and device are suitable for the continuous monitoring of the levels of these and other anticancer drugs in biological fluids such as blood, serum, urine and the like. The optrode of the instant invention also enables the measurement of the levels of these drugs from a remote location and from multiple samples.

  2. Urging Affordable Access to High-Value Cancer Drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    This infographic highlights some of the main messages from the President’s Cancer Panel report Promoting Value, Affordability, and Innovation in Cancer Drug Treatment. The graphic includes the panel’s recommendations to maximize the value and affordability of cancer drug treatment.

  3. Physics considerations in targeted anticancer drug delivery by magnetoelectric nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stimphil, Emmanuel; Nagesetti, Abhignyan; Guduru, Rakesh; Stewart, Tiffanie; Rodzinski, Alexandra; Liang, Ping; Khizroev, Sakhrat

    2017-06-01

    In regard to cancer therapy, magnetoelectric nanoparticles (MENs) have proven to be in a class of its own when compared to any other nanoparticle type. Like conventional magnetic nanoparticles, they can be used for externally controlled drug delivery via application of a magnetic field gradient and image-guided delivery. However, unlike conventional nanoparticles, due to the presence of a non-zero magnetoelectric effect, MENs provide a unique mix of important properties to address key challenges in modern cancer therapy: (i) a targeting mechanism driven by a physical force rather than antibody matching, (ii) a high-specificity delivery to enhance the cellular uptake of therapeutic drugs across the cancer cell membranes only, while sparing normal cells, (iii) an externally controlled mechanism to release drugs on demand, and (iv) a capability for image guided precision medicine. These properties separate MEN-based targeted delivery from traditional biotechnology approaches and lay a foundation for the complementary approach of technobiology. The biotechnology approach stems from the underlying biology and exploits bioinformatics to find the right therapy. In contrast, the technobiology approach is geared towards using the physics of molecular-level interactions between cells and nanoparticles to treat cancer at the most fundamental level and thus can be extended to all the cancers. This paper gives an overview of the current state of the art and presents an ab initio model to describe the underlying mechanisms of cancer treatment with MENs from the perspective of basic physics.

  4. Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery for Therapy of Lung Cancer: Progress and Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anish Babu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The last decade has witnessed enormous advances in the development and application of nanotechnology in cancer detection, diagnosis, and therapy culminating in the development of the nascent field of “cancer nanomedicine.” A nanoparticle as per the National Institutes of Health (NIH guidelines is any material that is used in the formulation of a drug resulting in a final product smaller than 1 micron in size. Nanoparticle-based therapeutic systems have gained immense popularity due to their ability to overcome biological barriers, effectively deliver hydrophobic therapies, and preferentially target disease sites. Currently, many formulations of nanocarriers are utilized including lipid-based, polymeric and branched polymeric, metal-based, magnetic, and mesoporous silica. Innovative strategies have been employed to exploit the multicomponent, three-dimensional constructs imparting multifunctional capabilities. Engineering such designs allows simultaneous drug delivery of chemotherapeutics and anticancer gene therapies to site-specific targets. In lung cancer, nanoparticle-based therapeutics is paving the way in the diagnosis, imaging, screening, and treatment of primary and metastatic tumors. However, translating such advances from the bench to the bedside has been severely hampered by challenges encountered in the areas of pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, large-scale manufacturing, and regulatory issues. This review summarizes current progress and challenges in nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems, citing recent examples targeted at lung cancer treatment.

  5. Mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iqbal, M.P.

    2003-01-01

    Development of drug resist chemotherapy. For the past several years, investigators have been striving hard to unravel mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer cells. Using different experimental models of cancer, some of the major mechanisms of drug resistance identified in mammalian cells include: (a) Altered transport of the drug (decreased influx of the drug; increased efflux of the drug (role of P-glycoprotein; role of polyglutamation; role of multiple drug resistance associated protein)), (b) Increase in total amount of target enzyme/protein (gene amplification), (c) alteration in the target enzyme/protein (low affinity enzyme), (d) Elevation of cellular glutathione, (e) Inhibition of drug-induced apoptosis (mutation in p53 tumor suppressor gene; increased expression of bcl-xl gene). (author)

  6. Synthetic biology for pharmaceutical drug discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trosset JY

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Jean-Yves Trosset,1 Pablo Carbonell2,3 1Bioinformation Research Laboratory, Sup’Biotech, Villejuif, France; 2Faculty of Life Sciences, SYNBIOCHEM Centre, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; 3Department of Experimental and Health Sciences (DCEXS, Research Programme on Biomedical Informatics (GRIB, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF, Barcelona, Spain Abstract: Synthetic biology (SB is an emerging discipline, which is slowly reorienting the field of drug discovery. For thousands of years, living organisms such as plants were the major source of human medicines. The difficulty in resynthesizing natural products, however, often turned pharmaceutical industries away from this rich source for human medicine. More recently, progress on transformation through genetic manipulation of biosynthetic units in microorganisms has opened the possibility of in-depth exploration of the large chemical space of natural products derivatives. Success of SB in drug synthesis culminated with the bioproduction of artemisinin by microorganisms, a tour de force in protein and metabolic engineering. Today, synthetic cells are not only used as biofactories but also used as cell-based screening platforms for both target-based and phenotypic-based approaches. Engineered genetic circuits in synthetic cells are also used to decipher disease mechanisms or drug mechanism of actions and to study cell–cell communication within bacteria consortia. This review presents latest developments of SB in the field of drug discovery, including some challenging issues such as drug resistance and drug toxicity. Keywords: metabolic engineering, plant synthetic biology, natural products, synthetic quorum sensing, drug resistance

  7. Perturbation biology nominates upstream–downstream drug combinations in RAF inhibitor resistant melanoma cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korkut, Anil; Wang, Weiqing; Demir, Emek; Aksoy, Bülent Arman; Jing, Xiaohong; Molinelli, Evan J; Babur, Özgün; Bemis, Debra L; Onur Sumer, Selcuk; Solit, David B; Pratilas, Christine A; Sander, Chris

    2015-01-01

    Resistance to targeted cancer therapies is an important clinical problem. The discovery of anti-resistance drug combinations is challenging as resistance can arise by diverse escape mechanisms. To address this challenge, we improved and applied the experimental-computational perturbation biology method. Using statistical inference, we build network models from high-throughput measurements of molecular and phenotypic responses to combinatorial targeted perturbations. The models are computationally executed to predict the effects of thousands of untested perturbations. In RAF-inhibitor resistant melanoma cells, we measured 143 proteomic/phenotypic entities under 89 perturbation conditions and predicted c-Myc as an effective therapeutic co-target with BRAF or MEK. Experiments using the BET bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 affecting the level of c-Myc protein and protein kinase inhibitors targeting the ERK pathway confirmed the prediction. In conclusion, we propose an anti-cancer strategy of co-targeting a specific upstream alteration and a general downstream point of vulnerability to prevent or overcome resistance to targeted drugs. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04640.001 PMID:26284497

  8. Drug Delivery Nanoparticles in Skin Cancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dianzani, Chiara; Zara, Gian Paolo; Maina, Giovanni; Pettazzoni, Piergiorgio; Pizzimenti, Stefania; Rossi, Federica; Gigliotti, Casimiro Luca; Ciamporcero, Eric Stefano; Daga, Martina; Barrera, Giuseppina

    2014-01-01

    Nanotechnology involves the engineering of functional systems at nanoscale, thus being attractive for disciplines ranging from materials science to biomedicine. One of the most active research areas of the nanotechnology is nanomedicine, which applies nanotechnology to highly specific medical interventions for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, including cancer disease. Over the past two decades, the rapid developments in nanotechnology have allowed the incorporation of multiple therapeutic, sensing, and targeting agents into nanoparticles, for detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer diseases. Nanoparticles offer many advantages as drug carrier systems since they can improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs, modify pharmacokinetics, increase drug half-life by reducing immunogenicity, improve bioavailability, and diminish drug metabolism. They can also enable a tunable release of therapeutic compounds and the simultaneous delivery of two or more drugs for combination therapy. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the use of different types of nanoparticles for systemic and topical drug delivery in the treatment of skin cancer. In particular, the progress in the treatment with nanocarriers of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma has been reported. PMID:25101298

  9. The effect of network biology on drug toxicology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gautier, Laurent; Taboureau, Olivier; Audouze, Karine Marie Laure

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: The high failure rate of drug candidates due to toxicity, during clinical trials, is a critical issue in drug discovery. Network biology has become a promising approach, in this regard, using the increasingly large amount of biological and chemical data available and combining...... it with bioinformatics. With this approach, the assessment of chemical safety can be done across multiple scales of complexity from molecular to cellular and system levels in human health. Network biology can be used at several levels of complexity. Areas covered: This review describes the strengths and limitations...... of network biology. The authors specifically assess this approach across different biological scales when it is applied to toxicity. Expert opinion: There has been much progress made with the amount of data that is generated by various omics technologies. With this large amount of useful data, network...

  10. Systems biology approaches and tools for analysis of interactomes and multi-target drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrattenholz, André; Groebe, Karlfried; Soskic, Vukic

    2010-01-01

    Systems biology is essentially a proteomic and epigenetic exercise because the relatively condensed information of genomes unfolds on the level of proteins. The flexibility of cellular architectures is not only mediated by a dazzling number of proteinaceous species but moreover by the kinetics of their molecular changes: The time scales of posttranslational modifications range from milliseconds to years. The genetic framework of an organism only provides the blue print of protein embodiments which are constantly shaped by external input. Indeed, posttranslational modifications of proteins represent the scope and velocity of these inputs and fulfil the requirements of integration of external spatiotemporal signal transduction inside an organism. The optimization of biochemical networks for this type of information processing and storage results in chemically extremely fine tuned molecular entities. The huge dynamic range of concentrations, the chemical diversity and the necessity of synchronisation of complex protein expression patterns pose the major challenge of systemic analysis of biological models. One further message is that many of the key reactions in living systems are essentially based on interactions of moderate affinities and moderate selectivities. This principle is responsible for the enormous flexibility and redundancy of cellular circuitries. In complex disorders such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases, which initially appear to be rooted in relatively subtle dysfunctions of multimodal physiologic pathways, drug discovery programs based on the concept of high affinity/high specificity compounds ("one-target, one-disease"), which has been dominating the pharmaceutical industry for a long time, increasingly turn out to be unsuccessful. Despite improvements in rational drug design and high throughput screening methods, the number of novel, single-target drugs fell much behind expectations during the past decade, and the treatment of "complex

  11. Novel drugs that target the estrogen-related receptor alpha: their therapeutic potential in breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    May, Felicity EB, E-mail: F.E.B.May@ncl.ac.uk [Northern Institute for Cancer Research and Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom)

    2014-05-23

    The incidence of breast cancer continues to rise: 1.7 million women were diagnosed with and 521,000 women died from breast cancer in 2012. This review considers first current treatment options: surgery; radiotherapy; and systemic endocrine, anti-biological, and cytotoxic therapies. Clinical management includes prevention, early detection by screening, treatment with curative intent, management of chronic disease, and palliative control of advanced breast cancer. Next, the potential of novel drugs that target DNA repair, growth factor dependence, intracellular and intercellular signal transduction, and cell cycle are considered. Estrogen-related receptor alpha has attracted attention as a therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancers with de novo resistance to, and in breast cancers with acquired resistance to, endocrine therapies such as antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors. Estrogen-related receptor alpha is an orphan receptor and transcription factor. Its activity is regulated by coregulator proteins and posttranslational modification. It is an energy sensor that controls adaptation to energy demand and may facilitate glycolytic metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative respiration in breast cancer cells. Estrogen-related receptor alpha increases breast cancer cell migration, proliferation, and tumor development. It is expressed at high levels in estrogen receptor-negative tumors, and is proposed to activate estrogen-responsive genes in endocrine-resistant tumors. The structures and functions of the ligand-binding domains of estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen-related receptor alpha, their ability to bind estrogens, phytoestrogens, and synthetic ligands, and the effects of ligand agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists on biological activity, are evaluated. Synthetic ligands of estrogen-related receptor alpha have activity in preclinical models of metabolic disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis, and oncology. The clinical settings in which these novel

  12. Novel drugs that target the estrogen-related receptor alpha: their therapeutic potential in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    May, Felicity EB

    2014-01-01

    The incidence of breast cancer continues to rise: 1.7 million women were diagnosed with and 521,000 women died from breast cancer in 2012. This review considers first current treatment options: surgery; radiotherapy; and systemic endocrine, anti-biological, and cytotoxic therapies. Clinical management includes prevention, early detection by screening, treatment with curative intent, management of chronic disease, and palliative control of advanced breast cancer. Next, the potential of novel drugs that target DNA repair, growth factor dependence, intracellular and intercellular signal transduction, and cell cycle are considered. Estrogen-related receptor alpha has attracted attention as a therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancers with de novo resistance to, and in breast cancers with acquired resistance to, endocrine therapies such as antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors. Estrogen-related receptor alpha is an orphan receptor and transcription factor. Its activity is regulated by coregulator proteins and posttranslational modification. It is an energy sensor that controls adaptation to energy demand and may facilitate glycolytic metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative respiration in breast cancer cells. Estrogen-related receptor alpha increases breast cancer cell migration, proliferation, and tumor development. It is expressed at high levels in estrogen receptor-negative tumors, and is proposed to activate estrogen-responsive genes in endocrine-resistant tumors. The structures and functions of the ligand-binding domains of estrogen receptor alpha and estrogen-related receptor alpha, their ability to bind estrogens, phytoestrogens, and synthetic ligands, and the effects of ligand agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists on biological activity, are evaluated. Synthetic ligands of estrogen-related receptor alpha have activity in preclinical models of metabolic disorders, diabetes, osteoporosis, and oncology. The clinical settings in which these novel

  13. High-throughput molecular analysis in lung cancer: insights into biology and potential clinical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ocak, S; Sos, M L; Thomas, R K; Massion, P P

    2009-08-01

    During the last decade, high-throughput technologies including genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic have been applied to further our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this heterogeneous disease, and to develop strategies that aim to improve the management of patients with lung cancer. Ultimately, these approaches should lead to sensitive, specific and noninvasive methods for early diagnosis, and facilitate the prediction of response to therapy and outcome, as well as the identification of potential novel therapeutic targets. Genomic studies were the first to move this field forward by providing novel insights into the molecular biology of lung cancer and by generating candidate biomarkers of disease progression. Lung carcinogenesis is driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations that cause aberrant gene function; however, the challenge remains to pinpoint the key regulatory control mechanisms and to distinguish driver from passenger alterations that may have a small but additive effect on cancer development. Epigenetic regulation by DNA methylation and histone modifications modulate chromatin structure and, in turn, either activate or silence gene expression. Proteomic approaches critically complement these molecular studies, as the phenotype of a cancer cell is determined by proteins and cannot be predicted by genomics or transcriptomics alone. The present article focuses on the technological platforms available and some proposed clinical applications. We illustrate herein how the "-omics" have revolutionised our approach to lung cancer biology and hold promise for personalised management of lung cancer.

  14. Biologic effects of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α blockade in uterine cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roh, Ju-Won; Huang, Jie; Hu, Wei; Yang, XiaoYun; Jennings, Nicholas B; Sehgal, Vasudha; Sohn, Bo Hwa; Han, Hee Dong; Lee, Sun Joo; Thanapprapasr, Duangmani; Bottsford-Miller, Justin; Zand, Behrouz; Dalton, Heather J; Previs, Rebecca A; Davis, Ashley N; Matsuo, Koji; Lee, Ju-Seog; Ram, Prahlad; Coleman, Robert L; Sood, Anil K

    2014-05-15

    Platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) expression is frequently observed in many kinds of cancer and is a candidate for therapeutic targeting. This preclinical study evaluated the biologic significance of PDGFRα and PDGFRα blockade (using a fully humanized monoclonal antibody, 3G3) in uterine cancer. Expression of PDGFRα was examined in uterine cancer clinical samples and cell lines, and biologic effects of PDGFRα inhibition were evaluated using in vitro (cell viability, apoptosis, and invasion) and in vivo (orthotopic) models of uterine cancer. PDGFRα was highly expressed and activated in uterine cancer samples and cell lines. Treatment with 3G3 resulted in substantial inhibition of PDGFRα phosphorylation and of downstream signaling molecules AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Cell viability and invasive potential of uterine cancer cells were also inhibited by 3G3 treatment. In orthotopic mouse models of uterine cancer, 3G3 monotherapy had significant antitumor effects in the PDGFRα-positive models (Hec-1A, Ishikawa, Spec-2) but not in the PDGFRα-negative model (OVCA432). Greater therapeutic effects were observed for 3G3 in combination with chemotherapy than for either drug alone in the PDGFRα-positive models. The antitumor effects of therapy were related to increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation and angiogenesis. These findings identify PDGFRα as an attractive target for therapeutic development in uterine cancer. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  15. Accelerating drug development for neuroblastoma - New Drug Development Strategy: an Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer, European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents and International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno, Lucas; Caron, Hubert; Geoerger, Birgit; Eggert, Angelika; Schleiermacher, Gudrun; Brock, Penelope; Valteau-Couanet, Dominique; Chesler, Louis; Schulte, Johannes H; De Preter, Katleen; Molenaar, Jan; Schramm, Alexander; Eilers, Martin; Van Maerken, Tom; Johnsen, John Inge; Garrett, Michelle; George, Sally L; Tweddle, Deborah A; Kogner, Per; Berthold, Frank; Koster, Jan; Barone, Giuseppe; Tucker, Elizabeth R; Marshall, Lynley; Herold, Ralf; Sterba, Jaroslav; Norga, Koen; Vassal, Gilles; Pearson, Andrew Dj

    2017-08-01

    Neuroblastoma, the commonest paediatric extra-cranial tumour, remains a leading cause of death from cancer in children. There is an urgent need to develop new drugs to improve cure rates and reduce long-term toxicity and to incorporate molecularly targeted therapies into treatment. Many potential drugs are becoming available, but have to be prioritised for clinical trials due to the relatively small numbers of patients. Areas covered: The current drug development model has been slow, associated with significant attrition, and few new drugs have been developed for neuroblastoma. The Neuroblastoma New Drug Development Strategy (NDDS) has: 1) established a group with expertise in drug development; 2) prioritised targets and drugs according to tumour biology (target expression, dependency, pre-clinical data; potential combinations; biomarkers), identifying as priority targets ALK, MEK, CDK4/6, MDM2, MYCN (druggable by BET bromodomain, aurora kinase, mTORC1/2) BIRC5 and checkpoint kinase 1; 3) promoted clinical trials with target-prioritised drugs. Drugs showing activity can be rapidly transitioned via parallel randomised trials into front-line studies. Expert opinion: The Neuroblastoma NDDS is based on the premise that optimal drug development is reliant on knowledge of tumour biology and prioritisation. This approach will accelerate neuroblastoma drug development and other poor prognosis childhood malignancies.

  16. A bioinformatics approach for precision medicine off-label drug drug selection among triple negative breast cancer patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Lijun; Schneider, Bryan P; Li, Lang

    2016-07-01

    Cancer has been extensively characterized on the basis of genomics. The integration of genetic information about cancers with data on how the cancers respond to target based therapy to help to optimum cancer treatment. The increasing usage of sequencing technology in cancer research and clinical practice has enormously advanced our understanding of cancer mechanisms. The cancer precision medicine is becoming a reality. Although off-label drug usage is a common practice in treating cancer, it suffers from the lack of knowledge base for proper cancer drug selections. This eminent need has become even more apparent considering the upcoming genomics data. In this paper, a personalized medicine knowledge base is constructed by integrating various cancer drugs, drug-target database, and knowledge sources for the proper cancer drugs and their target selections. Based on the knowledge base, a bioinformatics approach for cancer drugs selection in precision medicine is developed. It integrates personal molecular profile data, including copy number variation, mutation, and gene expression. By analyzing the 85 triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patient data in the Cancer Genome Altar, we have shown that 71.7% of the TNBC patients have FDA approved drug targets, and 51.7% of the patients have more than one drug target. Sixty-five drug targets are identified as TNBC treatment targets and 85 candidate drugs are recommended. Many existing TNBC candidate targets, such as Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 (PARP1), Cell division protein kinase 6 (CDK6), epidermal growth factor receptor, etc., were identified. On the other hand, we found some additional targets that are not yet fully investigated in the TNBC, such as Gamma-Glutamyl Hydrolase (GGH), Thymidylate Synthetase (TYMS), Protein Tyrosine Kinase 6 (PTK6), Topoisomerase (DNA) I, Mitochondrial (TOP1MT), Smoothened, Frizzled Class Receptor (SMO), etc. Our additional analysis of target and drug selection strategy is also fully

  17. Functional miRNAs in breast cancer drug resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hu WZ

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Weizi Hu,1–3,* Chunli Tan,1–3,* Yunjie He,4 Guangqin Zhang,2 Yong Xu,3,5 Jinhai Tang1 1Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 2School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, 3Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Cancer Hospital, 4The First Clinical School of Nanjing Medical University, 5Jiangsu Key Lab of Cancer Biomarkers, Prevention and Treatment, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Owing to improved early surveillance and advanced therapy strategies, the current death rate due to breast cancer has decreased; nevertheless, drug resistance and relapse remain obstacles on the path to successful systematic treatment. Multiple mechanisms responsible for drug resistance have been elucidated, and miRNAs seem to play a major part in almost every aspect of cancer progression, including tumorigenesis, metastasis, and drug resistance. In recent years, exosomes have emerged as novel modes of intercellular signaling vehicles, initiating cell–cell communication through their fusion with target cell membranes, delivering functional molecules including miRNAs and proteins. This review particularly focuses on enumerating functional miRNAs involved in breast cancer drug resistance as well as their targets and related mechanisms. Subsequently, we discuss the prospects and challenges of miRNA function in drug resistance and highlight valuable approaches for the investigation of the role of exosomal miRNAs in breast cancer progression and drug resistance. Keywords: microRNA, exosome, breast cancer, drug resistance

  18. The Biology of Cancer Exosomes: Insights and New Perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruivo, Carolina F; Adem, Bárbara; Silva, Miguel; Melo, Sónia A

    2017-12-01

    Exosomes are a subclass of extracellular vesicles involved in intercellular communication that are released by all cell types, including cancer cells. Cancer exosomes carry malignant information in the form of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that can reprogram recipient cells. Exosomes have emerged as putative biological mediators in cancer contributing to major steps of disease progression. A leading role exists for cancer exosomes in specific aspects of tumor progression: modulation of immune response, tumor microenvironment reprogramming, and metastasis. This review will address the functions attributed to cancer exosomes in these three aspects of cancer biology, highlighting recent advances and potential limitations. Finally, we explore alternative strategies to develop better models to study cancer exosomes biology. Cancer Res; 77(23); 6480-8. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  19. Au/TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures for the detection of cancer cells and anticancer drug activity by potential sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cui, Jingjie; Xu, Ping; Li, Hong; Chen, Jing; Chen, Shaowei; Gao, Li

    2016-01-01

    Cancer is a cell dysfunction disease. The detection of cancer cells is extremely important for early diagnosis and clinical treatments. At present, the pretreatment for the detection of cancer cells is costly, complicated and time-consuming. As different species of the analytes may give rise to specific voltammetric signals at distinctly different potentials, simple potential sensing has the specificity to detect different cellular species. By taking advantage of the different electrochemical characteristics of normal cells, cancer cells and biointeractions between anticancer drugs and cancer cells, we develop a specific, sensitive, direct, cost-effective and rapid method for the detection of cancer cells by electrochemical potential sensing based on Au/TiO 2 nanobelt heterostructure electrodes that will be of significance in early cancer diagnosis, in vitro screening of anticancer drugs  and molecular biology research. (paper)

  20. 42 CFR 410.29 - Limitations on drugs and biologicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... factors, and except for EPO, any drug or biological that can be self-administered. (b) Any drug product that meets all of the following conditions: (1) The drug product was approved by the Food and Drug...) Any drug product that is identical, related, or similar, as defined in 21 CFR 310.6, to a drug product...

  1. Cancer Drug Development: New Targets for Cancer Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curt

    1996-01-01

    cancer drug screening and cancer drug development. At the NCI, for example, the old in vivo mouse screen using mouse lymphomas has been shelved; it discovered compounds with some activity in lymphomas, but not the common solid tumors of adulthood. It has been replaced with an initial in vitro screen of some sixty cell lines, representing the common solid tumors-ovary, G.I., lung, breast, CNS, melanoma and others. The idea was to not only discover new drugs with specific anti-tumor activity but also to use the small volumes required for in vitro screening as a medium to screen for new natural product compounds, one of the richest sources of effective chemotherapy. The cell line project had an unexpected dividend. The pattern of sensitivity in the panel predicted the mechanism of action of unknown compounds. An antifolate suppressed cell growth of the different lines like other antifolates, anti-tubulin compounds suppressed like other anti-tubulins, and so on. It now became possible, at a very early stage of cancer drug screening, to select for drugs with unknown-and potentially novel-mechanisms of action. The idea was taken to the next logical step, and that was to characterize the entire panel for important molecular properties of human malignancy: mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53, expression of important oncogenes like ras or myc, the gp170 gene which confers multiple drug resistance, protein-specific kinases, and others. It now became possible to use the cell line panel as a tool to detect new drugs which targeted a specific genetic property of the tumor cell. Researchers can now ask whether a given drug is likely to inhibit multiple drug resistance or kill cells which over-express specific oncogenes at the earliest phase of drug discovery. In this issue of The Oncologist, Tom Connors celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of cancer chemotherapy. His focus is on the importance of international collaboration in clinical trials and the negative impact of

  2. Chaste: A test-driven approach to software development for biological modelling

    KAUST Repository

    Pitt-Francis, Joe; Pathmanathan, Pras; Bernabeu, Miguel O.; Bordas, Rafel; Cooper, Jonathan; Fletcher, Alexander G.; Mirams, Gary R.; Murray, Philip; Osborne, James M.; Walter, Alex; Chapman, S. Jon; Garny, Alan; van Leeuwen, Ingeborg M.M.; Maini, Philip K.; Rodrí guez, Blanca; Waters, Sarah L.; Whiteley, Jonathan P.; Byrne, Helen M.; Gavaghan, David J.

    2009-01-01

    Chaste ('Cancer, heart and soft-tissue environment') is a software library and a set of test suites for computational simulations in the domain of biology. Current functionality has arisen from modelling in the fields of cancer, cardiac physiology

  3. PEG-lipid micelles as drug carriers: physiochemical attributes, formulation principles and biological implication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gill, Kanwaldeep K; Kaddoumi, Amal; Nazzal, Sami

    2015-04-01

    PEG-lipid micelles, primarily conjugates of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and distearyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE) or PEG-DSPE, have emerged as promising drug-delivery carriers to address the shortcomings associated with new molecular entities with suboptimal biopharmaceutical attributes. The flexibility in PEG-DSPE design coupled with the simplicity of physical drug entrapment have distinguished PEG-lipid micelles as versatile and effective drug carriers for cancer therapy. They were shown to overcome several limitations of poorly soluble drugs such as non-specific biodistribution and targeting, lack of water solubility and poor oral bioavailability. Therefore, considerable efforts have been made to exploit the full potential of these delivery systems; to entrap poorly soluble drugs and target pathological sites both passively through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and actively by linking the terminal PEG groups with targeting ligands, which were shown to increase delivery efficiency and tissue specificity. This article reviews the current state of PEG-lipid micelles as delivery carriers for poorly soluble drugs, their biological implications and recent developments in exploring their active targeting potential. In addition, this review sheds light on the physical properties of PEG-lipid micelles and their relevance to the inherent advantages and applications of PEG-lipid micelles for drug delivery.

  4. Fertility drugs, reproductive strategies and ovarian cancer risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomao, Federica; Lo Russo, Giuseppe; Spinelli, Gian Paolo; Stati, Valeria; Prete, Alessandra Anna; Prinzi, Natalie; Sinjari, Marsela; Vici, Patrizia; Papa, Anselmo; Chiotti, Maria Stefania; Benedetti Panici, Pierluigi; Tomao, Silverio

    2014-01-01

    Several adverse effects have been related to infertility treatments, such as cancer development. In particular, the relationship between infertility, reproductive strategies, and risk of gynecological cancers has aroused much interest in recent years. The evaluation of cancer risk among women treated for infertility is very complex, mainly because of many factors that can contribute to occurrence of cancer in these patients (including parity status). This article addresses the possible association between the use of fertility treatments and the risk of ovarian cancer, through a scrupulous search of the literature published thus far in this field. Our principal objective was to give more conclusive answers on the question whether the use of fertility drug significantly increases ovarian cancer risk. Our analysis focused on the different types of drugs and different treatment schedules used. This study provides additional insights regarding the long-term relationships between fertility drugs and risk of ovarian cancer.

  5. Site-selective protein-modification chemistry for basic biology and drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krall, Nikolaus; da Cruz, Filipa P; Boutureira, Omar; Bernardes, Gonçalo J L

    2016-02-01

    Nature has produced intricate machinery to covalently diversify the structure of proteins after their synthesis in the ribosome. In an attempt to mimic nature, chemists have developed a large set of reactions that enable post-expression modification of proteins at pre-determined sites. These reactions are now used to selectively install particular modifications on proteins for many biological and therapeutic applications. For example, they provide an opportunity to install post-translational modifications on proteins to determine their exact biological roles. Labelling of proteins in live cells with fluorescent dyes allows protein uptake and intracellular trafficking to be tracked and also enables physiological parameters to be measured optically. Through the conjugation of potent cytotoxicants to antibodies, novel anti-cancer drugs with improved efficacy and reduced side effects may be obtained. In this Perspective, we highlight the most exciting current and future applications of chemical site-selective protein modification and consider which hurdles still need to be overcome for more widespread use.

  6. Widespread molecular patterns associated with drug sensitivity in breast cancer cell lines, with implications for human tumors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chad J Creighton

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Recent landmark studies have profiled cancer cell lines for molecular features, along with measuring the corresponding growth inhibitory effects for specific drug compounds. These data present a tool for determining which subsets of human cancer might be more responsive to particular drugs. To this end, the NCI-DREAM-sponsored DREAM7: Drug Sensitivity Prediction Challenge (sub-challenge 1 set out to predict the sensitivities of 18 breast cancer cell lines to 31 previously untested compounds, on the basis of molecular profiling data and a training subset of cell lines. METHODS AND RESULTS: With 47 teams submitting blinded predictions, team Creighton scored third in terms of overall accuracy. Team Creighton's method was simple and straightforward, incorporated multiple expression data types (RNA-seq, gene array, RPPA, and incorporated all profiled features (not only the "best" predictive ones. As an extension of the approach, cell line data, from public datasets of expression profiling coupled with drug sensitivities (Barretina, Garnett, Heiser were used to "predict" the drug sensitivities in human breast tumors (using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Drug sensitivity correlations within human breast tumors showed differences by expression-based subtype, with many associations in line with the expected (e.g. Lapatinib sensitivity in HER2-enriched cancers and others inviting further study (e.g. relative resistance to PI3K inhibitors in basal-like cancers. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular patterns associated with drug sensitivity are widespread, with potentially hundreds of genes that could be incorporated into making predictions, as well as offering biological clues as to the mechanisms involved. Applying the cell line patterns to human tumor data may help generate hypotheses on what tumor subsets might be more responsive to therapies, where multiple cell line datasets representing various drugs may be used, in order to assess consistency of

  7. CDK-mediated activation of the SCFFBXO28 ubiquitin ligase promotes MYC-driven transcription and tumourigenesis and predicts poor survival in breast cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cepeda, Diana; Ng, Hwee-Fang; Sharifi, Hamid Reza; Mahmoudi, Salah; Cerrato, Vanessa Soto; Fredlund, Erik; Magnusson, Kristina; Nilsson, Helén; Malyukova, Alena; Rantala, Juha; Klevebring, Daniel; Viñals, Francesc; Bhaskaran, Nimesh; Zakaria, Siti Mariam; Rahmanto, Aldwin Suryo; Grotegut, Stefan; Nielsen, Michael Lund; Szigyarto, Cristina Al-Khalili; Sun, Dahui; Lerner, Mikael; Navani, Sanjay; Widschwendter, Martin; Uhlén, Mathias; Jirström, Karin; Pontén, Fredrik; Wohlschlegel, James; Grandér, Dan; Spruck, Charles; Larsson, Lars-Gunnar; Sangfelt, Olle

    2013-01-01

    SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F-box) ubiquitin ligases act as master regulators of cellular homeostasis by targeting key proteins for ubiquitylation. Here, we identified a hitherto uncharacterized F-box protein, FBXO28 that controls MYC-dependent transcription by non-proteolytic ubiquitylation. SCFFBXO28 activity and stability are regulated during the cell cycle by CDK1/2-mediated phosphorylation of FBXO28, which is required for its efficient ubiquitylation of MYC and downsteam enhancement of the MYC pathway. Depletion of FBXO28 or overexpression of an F-box mutant unable to support MYC ubiquitylation results in an impairment of MYC-driven transcription, transformation and tumourigenesis. Finally, in human breast cancer, high FBXO28 expression and phosphorylation are strong and independent predictors of poor outcome. In conclusion, our data suggest that SCFFBXO28 plays an important role in transmitting CDK activity to MYC function during the cell cycle, emphasizing the CDK-FBXO28-MYC axis as a potential molecular drug target in MYC-driven cancers, including breast cancer. PMID:23776131

  8. Model-based global sensitivity analysis as applied to identification of anti-cancer drug targets and biomarkers of drug resistance in the ErbB2/3 network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebedeva, Galina; Sorokin, Anatoly; Faratian, Dana; Mullen, Peter; Goltsov, Alexey; Langdon, Simon P.; Harrison, David J.; Goryanin, Igor

    2012-01-01

    High levels of variability in cancer-related cellular signalling networks and a lack of parameter identifiability in large-scale network models hamper translation of the results of modelling studies into the process of anti-cancer drug development. Recently global sensitivity analysis (GSA) has been recognised as a useful technique, capable of addressing the uncertainty of the model parameters and generating valid predictions on parametric sensitivities. Here we propose a novel implementation of model-based GSA specially designed to explore how multi-parametric network perturbations affect signal propagation through cancer-related networks. We use area-under-the-curve for time course of changes in phosphorylation of proteins as a characteristic for sensitivity analysis and rank network parameters with regard to their impact on the level of key cancer-related outputs, separating strong inhibitory from stimulatory effects. This allows interpretation of the results in terms which can incorporate the effects of potential anti-cancer drugs on targets and the associated biological markers of cancer. To illustrate the method we applied it to an ErbB signalling network model and explored the sensitivity profile of its key model readout, phosphorylated Akt, in the absence and presence of the ErbB2 inhibitor pertuzumab. The method successfully identified the parameters associated with elevation or suppression of Akt phosphorylation in the ErbB2/3 network. From analysis and comparison of the sensitivity profiles of pAkt in the absence and presence of targeted drugs we derived predictions of drug targets, cancer-related biomarkers and generated hypotheses for combinatorial therapy. Several key predictions have been confirmed in experiments using human ovarian carcinoma cell lines. We also compared GSA-derived predictions with the results of local sensitivity analysis and discuss the applicability of both methods. We propose that the developed GSA procedure can serve as a

  9. Quantitative imaging as cancer biomarker

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mankoff, David A.

    2015-03-01

    The ability to assay tumor biologic features and the impact of drugs on tumor biology is fundamental to drug development. Advances in our ability to measure genomics, gene expression, protein expression, and cellular biology have led to a host of new targets for anticancer drug therapy. In translating new drugs into clinical trials and clinical practice, these same assays serve to identify patients most likely to benefit from specific anticancer treatments. As cancer therapy becomes more individualized and targeted, there is an increasing need to characterize tumors and identify therapeutic targets to select therapy most likely to be successful in treating the individual patient's cancer. Thus far assays to identify cancer therapeutic targets or anticancer drug pharmacodynamics have been based upon in vitro assay of tissue or blood samples. Advances in molecular imaging, particularly PET, have led to the ability to perform quantitative non-invasive molecular assays. Imaging has traditionally relied on structural and anatomic features to detect cancer and determine its extent. More recently, imaging has expanded to include the ability to image regional biochemistry and molecular biology, often termed molecular imaging. Molecular imaging can be considered an in vivo assay technique, capable of measuring regional tumor biology without perturbing it. This makes molecular imaging a unique tool for cancer drug development, complementary to traditional assay methods, and a potentially powerful method for guiding targeted therapy in clinical trials and clinical practice. The ability to quantify, in absolute measures, regional in vivo biologic parameters strongly supports the use of molecular imaging as a tool to guide therapy. This review summarizes current and future applications of quantitative molecular imaging as a biomarker for cancer therapy, including the use of imaging to (1) identify patients whose tumors express a specific therapeutic target; (2) determine

  10. Designing structural features of novel benznidazole-loaded cationic nanoparticles for inducing slow drug release and improvement of biological efficacy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dos Santos-Silva, Alaine M; de Caland, Lilia B; de S L Oliveira, Ana Luíza C; de Araújo-Júnior, Raimundo F; Fernandes-Pedrosa, Matheus F; Cornélio, Alianda Maira; da Silva-Júnior, Arnóbio A

    2017-09-01

    Several polymers have been investigated for producing cationic nanocarriers due to their ability to cross biological barriers. Polycations such as copolymers of polymethylmethacrylate are highlighted due to their biocompatibility and low toxicity. The purpose of this study was to produce small and narrow-sized cationic nanoparticles able to overcome cell membranes and improve the biological activity of benznidazole (BNZ) in normal and cancer cells. The effect of composition and procedure parameters of the used emulsification-solvent evaporation method were controlled for this purpose. The experimental approach included particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (ATR- FTIR), drug loading efficiency, and physical stability assays. Spherical and stable (over six weeks) sub 150nm cationic nanoparticles were optimized, with the encapsulation efficiency >80%. The used drug/copolymer ratio modulated the slow drug release, which was adjusted by the parabolic diffusion mathematical model. In addition, the ability of the cationic nanoparticles improve the BNZ uptake in the normal kidney cells (HEK 293) and the human colorectal cancer cells (HT 29) demonstrate that this novel BNZ-loaded cationic has great potential as a chemotherapeutic application of benznidazole. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Targeting the interleukin-11 receptor α in metastatic prostate cancer: A first-in-man study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasqualini, Renata; Millikan, Randall E; Christianson, Dawn R; Cardó-Vila, Marina; Driessen, Wouter H P; Giordano, Ricardo J; Hajitou, Amin; Hoang, Anh G; Wen, Sijin; Barnhart, Kirstin F; Baze, Wallace B; Marcott, Valerie D; Hawke, David H; Do, Kim-Anh; Navone, Nora M; Efstathiou, Eleni; Troncoso, Patricia; Lobb, Roy R; Logothetis, Christopher J; Arap, Wadih

    2015-07-15

    Receptors in tumor blood vessels are attractive targets for ligand-directed drug discovery and development. The authors have worked systematically to map human endothelial receptors ("vascular zip codes") within tumors through direct peptide library selection in cancer patients. Previously, they selected a ligand-binding motif to the interleukin-11 receptor alpha (IL-11Rα) in the human vasculature. The authors generated a ligand-directed, peptidomimetic drug (bone metastasis-targeting peptidomimetic-11 [BMTP-11]) for IL-11Rα-based human tumor vascular targeting. Preclinical studies (efficacy/toxicity) included evaluating BMTP-11 in prostate cancer xenograft models, drug localization, targeted apoptotic effects, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analyses, and dose-range determination, including formal (good laboratory practice) toxicity across rodent and nonhuman primate species. The initial BMTP-11 clinical development also is reported based on a single-institution, open-label, first-in-class, first-in-man trial (National Clinical Trials number NCT00872157) in patients with metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer. BMTP-11 was preclinically promising and, thus, was chosen for clinical development in patients. Limited numbers of patients who had castrate-resistant prostate cancer with osteoblastic bone metastases were enrolled into a phase 0 trial with biology-driven endpoints. The authors demonstrated biopsy-verified localization of BMTP-11 to tumors in the bone marrow and drug-induced apoptosis in all patients. Moreover, the maximum tolerated dose was identified on a weekly schedule (20-30 mg/m(2) ). Finally, a renal dose-limiting toxicity was determined, namely, dose-dependent, reversible nephrotoxicity with proteinuria and casts involving increased serum creatinine. These biologic endpoints establish BMTP-11 as a targeted drug candidate in metastatic, castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Within a larger discovery context, the current findings indicate that

  12. Breast cancer biology for the radiation oncologist

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strauss, Jonathan [Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology; Small, William [Loyola Univ. Chicago, Maywood, IL (United States). Stritch School of Medicine, Cardianl Bernardin Cancer Center; Woloschak, Gayle E. (ed.) [Northwestern Univ. Feinberg, Chicago, IL (United States). School of Medicine

    2015-10-01

    This is the first textbook of its kind devoted to describing the biological complexities of breast cancer in a way that is relevant to the radiation oncologist. Radiation Oncology has long treated breast cancer as a single biological entity, with all treatment decisions being based on clinical and pathologic risk factors. We are now beginning to understand that biological subtypes of breast cancer may have different risks of recurrence as well as different intrinsic sensitivity to radiotherapy. Multi-gene arrays that have for years been used to predict the risk of distant recurrence and the value of systemic chemotherapy may also have utility in predicting the risk of local recurrence. Additionally, the targeted agents used to treat breast cancer may interact with radiotherapy in ways that can be beneficial or undesirable. All of these emerging issues are extensively discussed in this book, and practical evidence-based treatment recommendations are presented whenever possible.

  13. Breast cancer biology for the radiation oncologist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strauss, Jonathan; Small, William; Woloschak, Gayle E.

    2015-01-01

    This is the first textbook of its kind devoted to describing the biological complexities of breast cancer in a way that is relevant to the radiation oncologist. Radiation Oncology has long treated breast cancer as a single biological entity, with all treatment decisions being based on clinical and pathologic risk factors. We are now beginning to understand that biological subtypes of breast cancer may have different risks of recurrence as well as different intrinsic sensitivity to radiotherapy. Multi-gene arrays that have for years been used to predict the risk of distant recurrence and the value of systemic chemotherapy may also have utility in predicting the risk of local recurrence. Additionally, the targeted agents used to treat breast cancer may interact with radiotherapy in ways that can be beneficial or undesirable. All of these emerging issues are extensively discussed in this book, and practical evidence-based treatment recommendations are presented whenever possible.

  14. Exploiting the bad eating habits of Ras-driven cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Eileen

    2013-10-01

    Oncogenic Ras promotes glucose fermentation and glutamine use to supply central carbon metabolism, but how and why have only emerged recently. Ras-mediated metabolic reprogramming generates building blocks for growth and promotes antioxidant defense. To fuel metabolic pathways, Ras scavenges extracellular proteins and lipids. To bolster metabolism and mitigate stress, Ras activates cellular self-cannibalization and recycling of proteins and organelles by autophagy. Targeting these distinct features of Ras-driven cancers provides novel approaches to cancer therapy.

  15. The biologic effects of cigarette smoke on cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobus, Samantha L; Warren, Graham W

    2014-12-01

    Smoking is one of the largest preventable risk factors for developing cancer, and continued smoking by cancer patients is associated with increased toxicity, recurrence, risk of second primary cancer, and mortality. Cigarette smoke (CS) contains thousands of chemicals, including many known carcinogens. The carcinogenic effects of CS are well established, but relatively little work has been done to evaluate the effects of CS on cancer cells. In this review of the literature, the authors demonstrate that CS induces a more malignant tumor phenotype by increasing proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis and by activating prosurvival cellular pathways. Significant work is needed to understand the biologic effect of CS on cancer biology, including the development of model systems and the identification of critical biologic mediators of CS-induced changes in cancer cell physiology. © 2014 American Cancer Society.

  16. Essential drugs for cancer chemotherapy: Memorandum from a WHO Meeting*

    OpenAIRE

    1985-01-01

    Essential drugs for cancer chemotherapy were reviewed in a consultation convened by WHO in Geneva. General principles regarding the proper role of cancer chemotherapeutic agents in relation to other established treatment modalities and the classification of tumours with respect to curative potential are discussed. Curable cancers and those cancers where the cost-benefit ratio clearly favours drug treatment can be managed appropriately using only 14 drugs.

  17. TIMP-1 increases expression and phosphorylation of proteins associated with drug resistance in breast cancer cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hekmat, Omid; Munk, Stephanie; Fogh, Louise

    2013-01-01

    may explain the resistance phenotype to topoisomerase inhibitors that was observed in cells with high TIMP-1 levels. Pathway analysis showed an enrichment of proteins from functional categories such as apoptosis, cell cycle, DNA repair, transcription factors, drug targets and proteins associated......Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) is a protein with a potential biological role in drug resistance. To elucidate the unknown molecular mechanisms underlying the association between high TIMP-1 levels and increased chemotherapy resistance, we employed SILAC-based quantitative mass...... spectrometry to analyze global proteome and phosphoproteome differences of MCF-7 breast cancer cells expressing high or low levels of TIMP-1. In TIMP-1 high expressing cells, 312 proteins and 452 phosphorylation sites were up-regulated. Among these were the cancer drug targets topoisomerase 1, 2A and 2B, which...

  18. Biological relevance of human papillomaviruses in vulvar cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halec, Gordana; Alemany, Laia; Quiros, Beatriz; Clavero, Omar; Höfler, Daniela; Alejo, Maria; Quint, Wim; Pawlita, Michael; Bosch, Francesc X; de Sanjose, Silvia

    2017-04-01

    The carcinogenic role of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) types in the increasing subset of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia and vulvar cancer in young women has been established. However, the actual number of vulvar cancer cases attributed to HPV is still imprecisely defined. In an attempt to provide a more precise definition of HPV-driven vulvar cancer, we performed HPV-type-specific E6*I mRNA analyses available for 20 HR-/possible HR (pHR)-HPV types, on tissue samples from 447 cases of vulvar cancer. HPV DNA genotyping was performed using SPF10-LiPA 25 assay due to its high sensitivity in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. Data on p16 INK4a expression was available for comparative analysis via kappa statistics. The use of highly sensitive assays covering the detection of HPV mRNA in a broad spectrum of mucosal HPV types resulted in the detection of viral transcripts in 87% of HPV DNA+ vulvar cancers. Overall concordance between HPV mRNA+ and p16 INK4a upregulation (strong, diffuse immunostaining in >25% of tumor cells) was 92% (K=0.625, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.531-0.719). Among these cases, 83% were concordant pairs of HPV mRNA+ and p16 INK4a + and 9% were concordant pairs of HPV mRNA- and p16 INK4a -. Our data confirm the biological role of HR-/pHR-HPV types in the great majority of HPV DNA+ vulvar cancers, resulting in an HPV-attributable fraction of at least 21% worldwide. Most HPV DNA+ vulvar cancers were associated with HPV16 (85%), but a causative role for other, less frequently occurring mucosal HPV types (HPV26, 66, 67, 68, 70 and 73) was also confirmed at the mRNA level for the first time. These findings should be taken into consideration for future screening options as HPV-associated vulvar preneoplastic lesions have increased in incidence in younger women and require different treatment than vulvar lesions that develop from rare autoimmune-related mechanisms in older women.

  19. Mathematical modeling and computational prediction of cancer drug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiaoqiang; Hu, Bin

    2017-06-23

    Diverse forms of resistance to anticancer drugs can lead to the failure of chemotherapy. Drug resistance is one of the most intractable issues for successfully treating cancer in current clinical practice. Effective clinical approaches that could counter drug resistance by restoring the sensitivity of tumors to the targeted agents are urgently needed. As numerous experimental results on resistance mechanisms have been obtained and a mass of high-throughput data has been accumulated, mathematical modeling and computational predictions using systematic and quantitative approaches have become increasingly important, as they can potentially provide deeper insights into resistance mechanisms, generate novel hypotheses or suggest promising treatment strategies for future testing. In this review, we first briefly summarize the current progress of experimentally revealed resistance mechanisms of targeted therapy, including genetic mechanisms, epigenetic mechanisms, posttranslational mechanisms, cellular mechanisms, microenvironmental mechanisms and pharmacokinetic mechanisms. Subsequently, we list several currently available databases and Web-based tools related to drug sensitivity and resistance. Then, we focus primarily on introducing some state-of-the-art computational methods used in drug resistance studies, including mechanism-based mathematical modeling approaches (e.g. molecular dynamics simulation, kinetic model of molecular networks, ordinary differential equation model of cellular dynamics, stochastic model, partial differential equation model, agent-based model, pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model, etc.) and data-driven prediction methods (e.g. omics data-based conventional screening approach for node biomarkers, static network approach for edge biomarkers and module biomarkers, dynamic network approach for dynamic network biomarkers and dynamic module network biomarkers, etc.). Finally, we discuss several further questions and future directions for the use of

  20. Drug Interactions in Childhood Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haidar, Cyrine; Jeha, Sima

    2016-01-01

    Children with cancer are increasingly benefiting from novel therapeutic strategies and advances in supportive care, as reflected in improvements in both their survival and quality of life. However, the continuous emergence of new oncology drugs and supportive care agents has also increased the possibility of deleterious drug interactions and healthcare providers need to practice extreme caution when combining medications. In this review, we discuss the most common interactions of chemotherapeutic agents with supportive care drugs such as anticonvulsants, antiemetics, uric acid–lowering agents, acid suppressants, antimicrobials, and pain management medications in pediatric oncology patients. As chemotherapy agents interact not only with medications but also with foods and herbal supplements that patients receive during the course of their treatment, we also briefly review such interactions and provide recommendations to avoid unwanted and potentially fatal interactions in children with cancer. PMID:20869315

  1. Drug-drug interactions in patients treated for cancer : a prospective study on clinical interventions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Leeuwen, R. W. F.; Jansman, F. G. A.; van den Bemt, P. M. L. A.; de Man, F.; Piran, F.; Vincenten, I.; Jager, A.; Rijneveld, A. W.; Brugma, J. D.; Mathijssen, R. H. J.; van Gelder, T.

    Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are of major concern in oncology, since cancer patients typically take many concomitant medications. Retrospective studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of DDIs. However, prospective studies on DDIs needing interventions in cancer patients

  2. The Current Landscape of 3D In Vitro Tumor Models: What Cancer Hallmarks Are Accessible for Drug Discovery?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodenhizer, Darren; Dean, Teresa; D'Arcangelo, Elisa; McGuigan, Alison P

    2018-04-01

    Cancer prognosis remains a lottery dependent on cancer type, disease stage at diagnosis, and personal genetics. While investment in research is at an all-time high, new drugs are more likely to fail in clinical trials today than in the 1970s. In this review, a summary of current survival statistics in North America is provided, followed by an overview of the modern drug discovery process, classes of models used throughout different stages, and challenges associated with drug development efficiency are highlighted. Then, an overview of the cancer hallmarks that drive clinical progression is provided, and the range of available clinical therapies within the context of these hallmarks is categorized. Specifically, it is found that historically, the development of therapies is limited to a subset of possible targets. This provides evidence for the opportunities offered by novel disease-relevant in vitro models that enable identification of novel targets that facilitate interactions between the tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment. Next, an overview of the models currently reported in literature is provided, and the cancer biology they have been used to explore is highlighted. Finally, four priority areas are suggested for the field to accelerate adoption of in vitro tumour models for cancer drug discovery. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Cancer nanomedicine: gold nanoparticle mediated combined cancer therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, C.; Bromma, Kyle; Chithrani, B. D.

    2018-02-01

    Recent developments in nanotechnology has provided new tools for cancer therapy and diagnosis. Among other nanomaterial systems, gold nanoparticles are being used as radiation dose enhancers and anticancer drug carriers in cancer therapy. Fate of gold nanoparticles within biological tissues can be probed using techniques such as TEM (transmission electron microscopy) and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) due to their high electron density. We have shown for the first time that cancer drug loaded gold nanoparticles can reach the nucleus (or the brain) of cancer cells enhancing the therapeutic effect dramatically. Nucleus of the cancer cells are the most desirable target in cancer therapy. In chemotherapy, smart delivery of highly toxic anticancer drugs through packaging using nanoparticles will reduce the side effects and improve the quality and care of cancer patients. In radiation therapy, use of gold nanoparticles as radiation dose enhancer is very promising due to enhanced localized dose within the cancer tissue. Recent advancement in nanomaterial characterization techniques will facilitate mapping of nanomaterial distribution within biological specimens to correlate the radiobiological effects due to treatment. Hence, gold nanoparticle mediated combined chemoradiation would provide promising tools to achieve personalized and tailored cancer treatments in the near future.

  4. Using Respondent-Driven Sampling to Recruit Illegal Drug Purchasers to Evaluate a Drug Market Intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ober, Allison J; Sussell, Jesse; Kilmer, Beau; Saunders, Jessica; Heckathorn, Douglas D

    2016-04-01

    Violent drug markets are not as prominent as they once were in the United States, but they still exist and are associated with significant crime and lower quality of life. The drug market intervention (DMI) is an innovative strategy that uses focused deterrence, community engagement, and incapacitation to reduce crime and disorder associated with these markets. Although studies show that DMI can reduce crime and overt drug activity, one perspective is prominently missing from these evaluations: those who purchase drugs. This study explores the use of respondent-driven sampling (RDS)-a statistical sampling method-to approximate a representative sample of drug users who purchased drugs in a targeted DMI market to gain insight into the effect of a DMI on market dynamics. Using RDS, we recruited individuals who reported hard drug use (crack or powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, or illicit use of prescriptions opioids) in the last month to participate in a survey. The main survey asked about drug use, drug purchasing, and drug market activity before and after DMI; a secondary survey asked about network characteristics and recruitment. Our sample of 212 respondents met key RDS assumptions, suggesting that the characteristics of our weighted sample approximate the characteristics of the drug user network. The weighted estimates for market purchasers are generally valid for inferences about the aggregate population of customers, but a larger sample size is needed to make stronger inferences about the effects of a DMI on drug market activity. © The Author(s) 2016.

  5. Exploring the TRAILs less travelled: TRAIL in cancer biology and therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Karstedt, Silvia; Montinaro, Antonella; Walczak, Henning

    2017-05-24

    The discovery that the tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis of cancer cells without causing toxicity in mice has led to the in-depth study of pro-apoptotic TRAIL receptor (TRAIL-R) signalling and the development of biotherapeutic drug candidates that activate TRAIL-Rs. The outcome of clinical trials with these TRAIL-R agonists has, however, been disappointing so far. Recent evidence indicates that many cancers, in addition to being TRAIL resistant, use the endogenous TRAIL-TRAIL-R system to their own advantage. However, novel insight on two fronts - how resistance of cancer cells to TRAIL-based pro-apoptotic therapies might be overcome, and how the pro-tumorigenic effects of endogenous TRAIL might be countered - gives reasonable hope that the TRAIL system can be harnessed to treat cancer. In this Review we assess the status quo of our understanding of the biology of the TRAIL-TRAIL-R system - as well as the gaps therein - and discuss the opportunities and challenges in effectively targeting this pathway.

  6. Polypeptide-based nanogels co-encapsulating a synergistic combination of doxorubicin with 17-AAG show potent anti-tumor activity in ErbB2-driven breast cancer models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desale, Swapnil S; Raja, Srikumar M; Kim, Jong Oh; Mohapatra, Bhopal; Soni, Kruti S; Luan, Haitao; Williams, Stetson H; Bielecki, Timothy A; Feng, Dan; Storck, Matthew; Band, Vimla; Cohen, Samuel M; Band, Hamid; Bronich, Tatiana K

    2015-06-28

    ErbB2-driven breast cancers constitute 20-25% of the cases diagnosed within the USA. The humanized anti-ErbB2 monoclonal antibody, Trastuzumab (Herceptin™; Genentech), with chemotherapy is the current standard of treatment. Novel agents and strategies continue to be explored, given the challenges posed by Trastuzumab-resistance development in most patients. The HSP90 inhibitor, 17-allylaminodemethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG), which induces ErbB2 degradation and attenuates downstream oncogenic signaling, is one such agent that showed significant promise in early phase I and II clinical trials. Its low water solubility, potential toxicities and undesirable side effects observed in patients, partly due to the Cremophor-based formulation, have been discouraging factors in the advancement of this promising drug into clinical use. Encapsulation of 17-AAG into polymeric nanoparticle formulations, particularly in synergistic combination with conventional chemotherapeutics, represents an alternative approach to overcome these problems. Herein, we report an efficient co-encapsulation of 17-AAG and doxorubicin, a clinically well-established and effective modality in breast cancer treatment, into biodegradable and biocompatible polypeptide-based nanogels. Dual drug-loaded nanogels displayed potent cytotoxicity in a breast cancer cell panel and exerted selective synergistic anticancer activity against ErbB2-overexpressing breast cancer cell lines. Analysis of ErbB2 degradation confirmed efficient 17-AAG release from nanogels with activity comparable to free 17-AAG. Furthermore, nanogels containing both 17-AAG and doxorubicin exhibited superior antitumor efficacy in vivo in an ErbB2-driven xenograft model compared to the combination of free drugs. These studies demonstrate that polypeptide-based nanogels can serve as novel nanocarriers for encapsulating 17-AAG along with other chemotherapeutics, providing an opportunity to overcome solubility issues and thereby exploit its full

  7. Canine osteosarcoma cell lines contain stem-like cancer cells: biological and pharmacological characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gatti, Monica; Wurth, Roberto; Vito, Guendalina; Pattarozzi, Alessandra; Campanella, Chiara; Thellung, Stefano; Maniscalco, Lorella; De Maria, Raffaella; Villa, Valentina; Corsaro, Alessandro; Nizzari, Mario; Bajetto, Adriana; Ratto, Alessandra; Ferrari, Angelo; Barbieri, Federica; Florio, Tullio

    2016-05-01

    Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a small subpopulation of cells responsible for tumor formation and progression, drug resistance, tumor recurrence and metastasization. CSCs have been identified in many human tumors including osteosarcoma (OSA). CSC distinctive properties are the expression of stem cell markers, sustained growth, self-renewal and tumorigenicity. Here we report the isolation of stem-like cells from two canine OSA cultures, characterized by self-renewal, evaluated by sphere formation ability, differential marker expression, and in vitro proliferation when cultured in a medium containing EGF and bFGF. Current therapies for OSA increased survival time, but prognosis remains poor, due to the development of drug resistance and metastases. Chemotherapy shrinks the tumor mass but CSCs remain unaffected, leading to tumor recurrence. Metformin, a drug for type 2 diabetes, has been shown to possess antitumor properties affecting CSC survival in different human and animal cancers. Here we show that metformin has a significant antiproliferative effect on canine OSA stem-like cells, validating this in vitro model for further pre-clinical drug evaluations. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining CSC-enriched cultures from primary canine OSA cells as a promising model for biological and pharmacological studies of canine and human OSAs.

  8. Purification of drugs from biological fluids by counter-current chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hochlowski, Jill E; Pan, Jeffrey Y; Searle, Philip A; Buck, Wayne R; Spanton, Stephen G

    2009-08-21

    Experiments were performed to demonstrate the potential of counter-current chromatography (CCC) for the isolation of drugs and their metabolites from biological matrices relevant to the metabolism studies of pharmaceutical research. Examples of typical drugs are spiked into biological media ex vivo to provide test samples for analysis. A mass spectrometer hyphenated to a CCC allows for the detection of small molecule drugs within the matrix through selected ion monitoring, and fraction collection can provide material for further structural elucidation by NMR.

  9. Exosomes: A Paradigm in Drug Development against Cancer and Infectious Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Oves

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Extracellular vesicles are small single lipid membrane entity secreted by eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and play an important role in intercellular signaling and nutrient transport. The last few decades have witnessed a plethora of research on these vesicles owing to their ability to answer many hidden facts at the supramolecular level. These extracellular vesicles have attracted the researchers because they act as shuttle agents to transfer biomolecules/drugs between cells. Recently, studies have shown the application of exosomes in tumor therapy and infectious disease control. The present review article shows the importance of exosomes in cancer biology and infectious disease diagnoses and therapy and provides comprehensive account of exosomes biogenesis, extraction, molecular profiling, and application in drug delivery.

  10. Administration costs of intravenous biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis

    OpenAIRE

    Soini, Erkki J; Leussu, Miina; Hallinen, Taru

    2013-01-01

    Background Cost-effectiveness studies explicitly reporting infusion times, drug-specific administration costs for infusions or real-payer intravenous drug cost are few in number. Yet, administration costs for infusions are needed in the health economic evaluations assessing intravenously-administered drugs. Objectives To estimate the drug-specific administration and total cost of biologic intravenous rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drugs in the adult population and to compare the obtained costs wit...

  11. New insights into pancreatic cancer biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hidalgo, M

    2012-09-01

    Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating disease. Over the last few years, there have been important advances in the molecular and biological understanding of pancreatic cancer. This included understanding of the genomic complexity of the disease, the role of pancreatic cancer stem cells, the relevance of the tumor microenvironment, and the unique metabolic adaptation of pancreas cancer cells to obtain nutrients under hypoxic environment. In this paper, we review the most salient developments in these few areas.

  12. Exosomes in development, metastasis and drug resistance of breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Dan-dan; Wu, Ying; Shen, Hong-yu; Lv, Meng-meng; Chen, Wei-xian; Zhang, Xiao-hui; Zhong, Shan-liang; Tang, Jin-hai; Zhao, Jian-hua

    2015-08-01

    Transport through the cell membrane can be divided into active, passive and vesicular types (exosomes). Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles released by a variety of cells. Emerging evidence shows that exosomes play a critical role in cancers. Exosomes mediate communication between stroma and cancer cells through the transfer of nucleic acid and proteins. It is demonstrated that the contents and the quantity of exosomes will change after occurrence of cancers. Over the last decade, growing attention has been paid to the role of exosomes in the development of breast cancer, the most life-threatening cancer in women. Breast cancer could induce salivary glands to secret specific exosomes, which could be used as biomarkers in the diagnosis of early breast cancer. Exosome-delivered nucleic acid and proteins partly facilitate the tumorigenesis, metastasis and resistance of breast cancer. Exosomes could also transmit anti-cancer drugs outside breast cancer cells, therefore leading to drug resistance. However, exosomes are effective tools for transportation of anti-cancer drugs with lower immunogenicity and toxicity. This is a promising way to establish a drug delivery system. © 2015 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  13. Drug repositioning for non-small cell lung cancer by using machine learning algorithms and topological graph theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Chien-Hung; Chang, Peter Mu-Hsin; Hsu, Chia-Wei; Huang, Chi-Ying F; Ng, Ka-Lok

    2016-01-11

    Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death globally, and research into NSCLC has been accumulating steadily over several years. Drug repositioning is the current trend in the pharmaceutical industry for identifying potential new uses for existing drugs and accelerating the development process of drugs, as well as reducing side effects. This work integrates two approaches--machine learning algorithms and topological parameter-based classification--to develop a novel pipeline of drug repositioning to analyze four lung cancer microarray datasets, enriched biological processes, potential therapeutic drugs and targeted genes for NSCLC treatments. A total of 7 (8) and 11 (12) promising drugs (targeted genes) were discovered for treating early- and late-stage NSCLC, respectively. The effectiveness of these drugs is supported by the literature, experimentally determined in-vitro IC50 and clinical trials. This work provides better drug prediction accuracy than competitive research according to IC50 measurements. With the novel pipeline of drug repositioning, the discovery of enriched pathways and potential drugs related to NSCLC can provide insight into the key regulators of tumorigenesis and the treatment of NSCLC. Based on the verified effectiveness of the targeted drugs predicted by this pipeline, we suggest that our drug-finding pipeline is effective for repositioning drugs.

  14. Optimal Anti-cancer Drug Profiles for Effective Penetration of the Anti-cancer Drug Market by Generic Drugs in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shibata, Shoyo; Matsushita, Maiko; Saito, Yoshimasa; Suzuki, Takeshi

    2017-01-01

    The increased use of generic drugs is a good indicator of the need to reduce the increasing costs of prescription drugs. Since there are more expensive drugs compared with other therapeutic areas, "oncology" is an important one for generic drugs. The primary objective of this article was to quantify the extent to which generic drugs in Japan occupy each level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system. The dataset used in this study was created from publicly available information obtained from the IMS Japan Pharmaceutical Market database. Data on the total amount of sales and number of prescriptions for anti-cancer drugs between 2010 and 2016 in Japan were selected. The data were categorized according to the third level of the ATC classification system. All categories of the ATC classification system had increased market shares in Japan between 2010 and 2016. The barriers to market entry were relatively low in L01F (platinum anti-neoplastics), L01C (plant-based neoplastics), L02B (cytostatic hormone antagonists), and L01D (anti-neoplastic antibiotics) but were high in L02A (cytostatic hormones), L01H (protein kinase inhibitors), and L01B (anti-metabolites). Generic cancer drugs could bring savings to Japanese health care systems. Therefore, their development should be directed toward niche markets, such as L02A, L01H, and L01B, and not competitive markets.

  15. Functional Genomics Uncover the Biology behind the Responsiveness of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer Patients to Cetuximab.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossi, Paolo; Bergamini, Cristiana; Siano, Marco; Cossu Rocca, Maria; Sponghini, Andrea P; Favales, Federica; Giannoccaro, Marco; Marchesi, Edoardo; Cortelazzi, Barbara; Perrone, Federica; Pilotti, Silvana; Locati, Laura D; Licitra, Lisa; Canevari, Silvana; De Cecco, Loris

    2016-08-01

    To identify the tumor portrait of the minority of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients with recurrent-metastatic (RM) disease who upon treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab present a long-lasting response. The gene expression of pretreatment samples from 40 HNSCC-RM patients, divided in two groups [14 long-progression-free survival (PFS) and 26 short-PFS (median = 19 and 3 months, respectively)], was associated with PFS and was challenged against a dataset from metastatic colon cancer patients treated with cetuximab. For biologic analysis, we performed functional and subtype association using gene set enrichment analysis, associated biology across all currently available HNSCC signatures, and inferred drug sensitivity using data from the Cancer Genomic Project. The identified genomic profile exhibited a significant predictive value that was essentially confirmed in the single publicly available dataset of cetuximab-treated patients. The main divergence between long- and short-PFS groups was based on developmental/differentiation status. The long-PFS patients are characterized by basal subtype traits such as strong EGFR signaling phenotype and hypoxic differentiation, further validated by the significantly higher association with the hypoxia metagene. The short-PFS patients presented a strong activation of RAS signaling confirmed in an in vitro model of two isogenic HNSCC cell lines sensitive or resistant to cetuximab. The predicted drug sensitivity for all four EGFR inhibitors was higher in long- versus short-PFS patients (P range: biology behind response to platinum-based chemotherapy plus cetuximab in RM-HNSCC cancer and may have translational implications improving treatment selection. Clin Cancer Res; 22(15); 3961-70. ©2016 AACRSee related commentary by Chau and Hammerman, p. 3710. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

  16. Molecular imaging of prostate cancer: translating molecular biology approaches into the clinical realm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, Hebert Alberto; Grimm, Jan; F Donati, Olivio; Sala, Evis; Hricak, Hedvig

    2015-05-01

    The epidemiology of prostate cancer has dramatically changed since the introduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in the 1980's. Most prostate cancers today are detected at early stages of the disease and are considered 'indolent'; however, some patients' prostate cancers demonstrate a more aggressive behaviour which leads to rapid progression and death. Increasing understanding of the biology underlying the heterogeneity that characterises this disease has led to a continuously evolving role of imaging in the management of prostate cancer. Functional and metabolic imaging techniques are gaining importance as the impact on the therapeutic paradigm has shifted from structural tumour detection alone to distinguishing patients with indolent tumours that can be managed conservatively (e.g., by active surveillance) from patients with more aggressive tumours that may require definitive treatment with surgery or radiation. In this review, we discuss advanced imaging techniques that allow direct visualisation of molecular interactions relevant to prostate cancer and their potential for translation to the clinical setting in the near future. The potential use of imaging to follow molecular events during drug therapy as well as the use of imaging agents for therapeutic purposes will also be discussed. • Advanced imaging techniques allow direct visualisation of molecular interactions in prostate cancer. • MRI/PET, optical and Cerenkov imaging facilitate the translation of molecular biology. • Multiple compounds targeting PSMA expression are currently undergoing clinical translation. • Other targets (e.g., PSA, prostate-stem cell antigen, GRPR) are in development.

  17. Drug Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors in Lung Cancer | Office of Cancer Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    The discovery of mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has dramatically changed the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. EGFR-targeted therapies show considerable promise, but drug resistance has become a substantial issue. We reviewed the literature to provide an overview of the drug resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in NSCLC. The mechanisms causing primary, acquired and persistent drug resistance to TKIs vary.

  18. Novel opportunities for computational biology and sociology in drug discovery☆

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Lixia; Evans, James A.; Rzhetsky, Andrey

    2013-01-01

    Current drug discovery is impossible without sophisticated modeling and computation. In this review we outline previous advances in computational biology and, by tracing the steps involved in pharmaceutical development, explore a range of novel, high-value opportunities for computational innovation in modeling the biological process of disease and the social process of drug discovery. These opportunities include text mining for new drug leads, modeling molecular pathways and predicting the efficacy of drug cocktails, analyzing genetic overlap between diseases and predicting alternative drug use. Computation can also be used to model research teams and innovative regions and to estimate the value of academy–industry links for scientific and human benefit. Attention to these opportunities could promise punctuated advance and will complement the well-established computational work on which drug discovery currently relies. PMID:20349528

  19. Novel opportunities for computational biology and sociology in drug discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Lixia

    2009-01-01

    Drug discovery today is impossible without sophisticated modeling and computation. In this review we touch on previous advances in computational biology and by tracing the steps involved in pharmaceutical development, we explore a range of novel, high value opportunities for computational innovation in modeling the biological process of disease and the social process of drug discovery. These opportunities include text mining for new drug leads, modeling molecular pathways and predicting the efficacy of drug cocktails, analyzing genetic overlap between diseases and predicting alternative drug use. Computation can also be used to model research teams and innovative regions and to estimate the value of academy-industry ties for scientific and human benefit. Attention to these opportunities could promise punctuated advance, and will complement the well-established computational work on which drug discovery currently relies. PMID:19674801

  20. Systems biology-embedded target validation: improving efficacy in drug discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandamme, Drieke; Minke, Benedikt A; Fitzmaurice, William; Kholodenko, Boris N; Kolch, Walter

    2014-01-01

    The pharmaceutical industry is faced with a range of challenges with the ever-escalating costs of drug development and a drying out of drug pipelines. By harnessing advances in -omics technologies and moving away from the standard, reductionist model of drug discovery, there is significant potential to reduce costs and improve efficacy. Embedding systems biology approaches in drug discovery, which seek to investigate underlying molecular mechanisms of potential drug targets in a network context, will reduce attrition rates by earlier target validation and the introduction of novel targets into the currently stagnant market. Systems biology approaches also have the potential to assist in the design of multidrug treatments and repositioning of existing drugs, while stratifying patients to give a greater personalization of medical treatment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. FGFR a promising druggable target in cancer: Molecular biology and new drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porta, Rut; Borea, Roberto; Coelho, Andreia; Khan, Shahanavaj; Araújo, António; Reclusa, Pablo; Franchina, Tindara; Van Der Steen, Nele; Van Dam, Peter; Ferri, Jose; Sirera, Rafael; Naing, Aung; Hong, David; Rolfo, Christian

    2017-05-01

    The Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) family consists of Tyrosine Kinase Receptors (TKR) involved in several biological functions. Recently, alterations of FGFR have been reported to be important for progression and development of several cancers. In this setting, different studies are trying to evaluate the efficacy of different therapies targeting FGFR. This review summarizes the current status of treatments targeting FGFR, focusing on the trials that are evaluating the FGFR profile as inclusion criteria: Multi-Target, Pan-FGFR Inhibitors and anti-FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor)/FGFR Monoclonal Antibodies. Most of the TKR share intracellular signaling pathways; therefore, cancer cells tend to overcome the inhibition of one tyrosine kinase receptor by activating another. The future of TKI (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor) therapy will potentially come from multi-targeted TKIs that target different TKR simultaneously. It is crucial to understand the interaction of the FGF-FGFR axis with other known driver TKRs. Based on this, it is possible to develop therapeutic strategies targeting multiple connected TKRs at once. One correct step in this direction is the reassessment of multi target inhibitors considering the FGFR status of the tumor. Another opportunity arises from assessing the use of FGFR TKI on patients harboring FGFR alterations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Mitochondrial electron transport is the cellular target of the oncology drug elesclomol.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald K Blackman

    Full Text Available Elesclomol is a first-in-class investigational drug currently undergoing clinical evaluation as a novel cancer therapeutic. The potent antitumor activity of the compound results from the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS and oxidative stress to levels incompatible with cellular survival. However, the molecular target(s and mechanism by which elesclomol generates ROS and subsequent cell death were previously undefined. The cellular cytotoxicity of elesclomol in the yeast S. cerevisiae appears to occur by a mechanism similar, if not identical, to that in cancer cells. Accordingly, here we used a powerful and validated technology only available in yeast that provides critical insights into the mechanism of action, targets and processes that are disrupted by drug treatment. Using this approach we show that elesclomol does not work through a specific cellular protein target. Instead, it targets a biologically coherent set of processes occurring in the mitochondrion. Specifically, the results indicate that elesclomol, driven by its redox chemistry, interacts with the electron transport chain (ETC to generate high levels of ROS within the organelle and consequently cell death. Additional experiments in melanoma cells involving drug treatments or cells lacking ETC function confirm that the drug works similarly in human cancer cells. This deeper understanding of elesclomol's mode of action has important implications for the therapeutic application of the drug, including providing a rationale for biomarker-based stratification of patients likely to respond in the clinical setting.

  3. Genetics and molecular biology of breast cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    King, M.C. [California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States); Lippman, M. [Georgetown Univ. Medical Center, Washington, DC (United States)] [comps.

    1992-12-31

    This volume contains the abstracts of oral presentations and poster sessions presented at the Cold Springs Harbor Meeting on Cancer Cells, this meeting entitled Genetics and Molecular Biology of Breast Cancer.

  4. Nano-engineered Drug Combinations for Breast Cancer Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    transport vehicles for effective delivery of two different cancer drugs. In particular, we aim to use two breast cancer drugs, which enhance each...shell structures,26, 27 and dendrimers .28, 29 To date, very few of these strategies have led to particles with distinct release profiles of multiple

  5. Nitric oxide, a double edged sword in cancer biology: searching for therapeutic opportunities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mocellin, Simone; Bronte, Vincenzo; Nitti, Donato

    2007-05-01

    Nitric oxide (NO) is a pleiotropic molecule critical to a number of physiological and pathological processes. The last decade has witnessed major advances in dissecting NO biology and its role in cancer pathogenesis. However, the complexity of the interactions between different levels of NO and several aspects of tumor development/progression has led to apparently conflicting findings. Furthermore, both anti-NO and NO-based anticancer strategies appear effective in several preclinical models. This paradoxical dichotomy is leaving investigators with a double challenge: to determine the net impact of NO on cancer behavior and to define the therapeutic role of NO-centered anticancer strategies. Only a comprehensive and dynamic view of the cascade of molecular and cellular events underlying tumor biology and affected by NO will allow investigators to exploit the potential antitumor properties of drugs interfering with NO metabolism. Available data suggest that NO should be considered neither a universal target nor a magic bullet, but rather a signal transducer to be modulated according to the molecular makeup of each individual cancer and the interplay with conventional antineoplastic agents. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Cancer therapy leading to state of cancer metabolism depression for efficient operation of small dosage cytotoxic drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ponizovskiy MR

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available “Prolonged medical starvation” as the method of cancer therapy was borrowed from folk healers Omelchenko A and Breuss R. Author was convinced in efficiency of this method of cancer treatment via examination of cured patients and on own experience. The mechanism of this method of cancer therapy operates via Warburg effect targeting that promotes efficient cancer treatment with small cytotoxic drugs. Just it was described the mechanism of Warburg effect as well as mechanism transmutation of mitochondrial function in cancer metabolism which are exhibited in connection with operation of described method cancer therapy. There were described the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of formations resistance to some cytotoxic drugs and recurrence cancer disease after disease remission which occur sometimes as result of treatment with great dosage of cytotoxic drugs. Also it was described the benefits of use the method “Prolonged medical starvation” with decreased dosage of cytotoxic drugs for cancer treatment. The significance of this work that it was substantiated the mechanism operation of combination “Prolonged medical starvation” with small dosages cytotoxic drugs of cancer treatment, which mechanism leads to prevention recurrence cancer disease and resistance to anticancer drugs in comparison with intensive anticancer chemotherapy with great dosages of cytotoxic drugs in cancer therapy. Also the offered concepts of cancer therapy mechanism gave possibility to explain mechanisms of some results of experiments eliminating the doubts of the authors these experiments.

  7. Drug therapy for hereditary cancers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Imyanitov Evgeny N

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Tumors arising in patients with hereditary cancer syndromes may have distinct drug sensitivity as compared to their sporadic counterparts. Breast and ovarian neoplasms from BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers are characterized by deficient homologous recombination (HR of DNA, that makes them particularly sensitive to platinum compounds or inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP. Outstandingly durable complete responses to high dose chemotherapy have been observed in several cases of BRCA-related metastatic breast cancer (BC. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that women with BRCA1-related BC may derive less benefit from taxane-based treatment than other categories of BC patients. There is virtually no reports directly assessing drug response in hereditary colorectal cancer (CRC patients; studies involving non-selected (i.e., both sporadic and hereditary CRC with high-level microsatellite instability (MSI-H suggest therapeutic advantage of irinotecan. Celecoxib has been approved for the treatment of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP. Hereditary medullary thyroid cancers (MTC have been shown to be highly responsive to a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor vandetanib, which exerts specific activity towards mutated RET receptor. Given the rapidly improving accessibility of DNA analysis, it is foreseen that the potential predictive value of cancer-associated germ-line mutations will be increasingly considered in the future studies.

  8. Biology of lung cancer: genetic mutation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoi, Takashi

    2016-09-01

    At present, most cases of unresectable cancer cannot be cured. Genetic mutations, EMT, and cancer stem cells are three major issues linked to poor prognosis in such cases, all connected by inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Issues on inter-/intra-tumor heterogeneity of genetic mutation could be resolved with recent and future technologies of deep sequencers, whereas, regarding such issues as the "same genome, different epigenome/phenotype", we expect to solve many of these problems in the future through further research in stem cell biology. We herein review and discuss the three major issues in the biology of cancers, especially from the standpoint of stem cell biology.

  9. How state and federal policies as well as advances in genome science contribute to the high cost of cancer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsey, Scott D

    2015-04-01

    During a time when cancer drug prices are increasing at an unprecedented rate, a debate has emerged as to whether these drugs continue to provide good value. In this article I argue that this debate is irrelevant because under today's highly distorted market, prices will not be set with value considerations in mind. As an alternative, I suggest considering the "value" of three policy changes—Medicare's "average sales price plus 6 percent" payment program, laws that require insurance coverage of all new cancer drugs, and the Affordable Care Act—that are fueling manufacturers' willingness to set higher prices. More important than these issues, however, is the revolution that is occurring in molecular biology and its impact on scientists' ability to detect changes in the cancer genome. The lowered cost of discovery is driving more competitors into the market, which under distorted pricing paradoxically encourages drug makers to charge ever higher prices for their products. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  10. Influence networks based on coexpression improve drug target discovery for the development of novel cancer therapeutics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background The demand for novel molecularly targeted drugs will continue to rise as we move forward toward the goal of personalizing cancer treatment to the molecular signature of individual tumors. However, the identification of targets and combinations of targets that can be safely and effectively modulated is one of the greatest challenges facing the drug discovery process. A promising approach is to use biological networks to prioritize targets based on their relative positions to one another, a property that affects their ability to maintain network integrity and propagate information-flow. Here, we introduce influence networks and demonstrate how they can be used to generate influence scores as a network-based metric to rank genes as potential drug targets. Results We use this approach to prioritize genes as drug target candidates in a set of ER + breast tumor samples collected during the course of neoadjuvant treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole. We show that influential genes, those with high influence scores, tend to be essential and include a higher proportion of essential genes than those prioritized based on their position (i.e. hubs or bottlenecks) within the same network. Additionally, we show that influential genes represent novel biologically relevant drug targets for the treatment of ER + breast cancers. Moreover, we demonstrate that gene influence differs between untreated tumors and residual tumors that have adapted to drug treatment. In this way, influence scores capture the context-dependent functions of genes and present the opportunity to design combination treatment strategies that take advantage of the tumor adaptation process. Conclusions Influence networks efficiently find essential genes as promising drug targets and combinations of targets to inform the development of molecularly targeted drugs and their use. PMID:24495353

  11. in OECD countries concerning biological drugs

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Jane

    2011-08-22

    Aug 22, 2011 ... the pharmaceutical sector about biological drugs come under the umbrella of innovation system of each country. ... The cost of biotechnology R and D within public research centres and ... Existence of a suitable system to protect intellectual property ... biotechnology that provide the capital for industry and.

  12. Biodegradable polymers for targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doppalapudi, Sindhu; Jain, Anjali; Domb, Abraham J; Khan, Wahid

    2016-06-01

    Biodegradable polymers have been used for more than three decades in cancer treatment and have received increased interest in recent years. A range of biodegradable polymeric drug delivery systems designed for localized and systemic administration of therapeutic agents as well as tumor-targeting macromolecules has entered into the clinical phase of development, indicating the significance of biodegradable polymers in cancer therapy. This review elaborates upon applications of biodegradable polymers in the delivery and targeting of anti-cancer agents. Design of various drug delivery systems based on biodegradable polymers has been described. Moreover, the indication of polymers in the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs via passive, active targeting, and localized drug delivery are also covered. Biodegradable polymer-based drug delivery systems have the potential to deliver the payload to the target and can enhance drug availability at desired sites. Systemic toxicity and serious side effects observed with conventional cancer therapeutics can be significantly reduced with targeted polymeric systems. Still, there are many challenges that need to be met with respect to the degradation kinetics of the system, diffusion of drug payload within solid tumors, targeting tumoral tissue and tumor heterogeneity.

  13. Preclinical magnetic resonance imaging and systems biology in cancer research: current applications and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albanese, Chris; Rodriguez, Olga C; VanMeter, John; Fricke, Stanley T; Rood, Brian R; Lee, YiChien; Wang, Sean S; Madhavan, Subha; Gusev, Yuriy; Petricoin, Emanuel F; Wang, Yue

    2013-02-01

    Biologically accurate mouse models of human cancer have become important tools for the study of human disease. The anatomical location of various target organs, such as brain, pancreas, and prostate, makes determination of disease status difficult. Imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging, can greatly enhance diagnosis, and longitudinal imaging of tumor progression is an important source of experimental data. Even in models where the tumors arise in areas that permit visual determination of tumorigenesis, longitudinal anatomical and functional imaging can enhance the scope of studies by facilitating the assessment of biological alterations, (such as changes in angiogenesis, metabolism, cellular invasion) as well as tissue perfusion and diffusion. One of the challenges in preclinical imaging is the development of infrastructural platforms required for integrating in vivo imaging and therapeutic response data with ex vivo pathological and molecular data using a more systems-based multiscale modeling approach. Further challenges exist in integrating these data for computational modeling to better understand the pathobiology of cancer and to better affect its cure. We review the current applications of preclinical imaging and discuss the implications of applying functional imaging to visualize cancer progression and treatment. Finally, we provide new data from an ongoing preclinical drug study demonstrating how multiscale modeling can lead to a more comprehensive understanding of cancer biology and therapy. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Mechanically driven interface propagation in biological tissues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranft, Jonas; Joanny, Jean-François; Aliee, Maryam; Jülicher, Frank; Prost, Jacques

    2014-01-01

    Many biological tissues consist of more than one cell type. We study the dynamics of an interface between two different cell populations as it occurs during the growth of a tumor in a healthy host tissue. Recent work suggests that the rates of cell division and cell death are under mechanical control, characterized by a homeostatic pressure. The difference in the homeostatic pressures of two cell types drives the propagation of the interface, corresponding to the invasion of one cell type into the other. We derive a front propagation equation that takes into account the coupling between cell number balance and tissue mechanics. We show that in addition to pulled fronts, pushed-front solutions occur as a result of convection driven by mechanics. (paper)

  15. Supermolecular drug challenge to overcome drug resistance in cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onishi, Yasuhiko; Eshita, Yuki; Ji, Rui-Cheng; Kobayashi, Takashi; Onishi, Masayasu; Mizuno, Masaaki; Yoshida, Jun; Kubota, Naoji

    2018-06-04

    Overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR) of cancer cells can be accomplished using drug delivery systems in large-molecular-weight ATP-binding cassette transporters before entry into phagolysosomes and by particle-cell-surface interactions. However, these hypotheses do not address the intratumoral heterogeneity in cancer. Anti-MDR must be related to alterations of drug targets, expression of detoxification, as well as altered proliferation. In this study, it is shown that the excellent efficacy and sustainability of anti-MDR is due to a stable ES complex because of the allosteric facilities of artificial enzymes when they are used as supramolecular complexes. The allosteric effect of supermolecular drugs can be explained by the induced-fit model and can provide stable feedback control systems through the loop transfer function of the Hill equation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. New Approaches in Cancer Biology Can Inform the Biology Curriculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Lynda; Gordon, Diana; Zelinski, Mary

    2018-03-01

    Students tend to be very interested in medical issues that affect them and their friends and family. Using cancer as a hook, the ART of Reproductive Medicine: Oncofertility curriculum (free, online, and NIH sponsored) has been developed to supplement the teaching of basic biological concepts and to connect biology and biomedical research. This approach allows integration of up-to-date information on cancer and cancer treatment, cell division, male and female reproductive anatomy and physiology, cryopreservation, fertility preservation, stem cells, ethics, and epigenetics into an existing biology curriculum. Many of the topics covered in the curriculum relate to other scientific disciplines, such as the latest developments in stem cell research including tissue bioengineering and gene therapy for inherited mitochondrial disease, how epigenetics occurs chemically to affect gene expression or suppression and how it can be passed down through the generations, and the variety of biomedical careers students could pursue. The labs are designed to be open-ended and inquiry-based, and extensions to the experiments are provided so that students can explore questions further. Case studies and ethical dilemmas are provided to encourage thoughtful discussion. In addition, each chapter of the curriculum includes links to scientific papers, additional resources on each topic, and NGSS alignment.

  17. RAS - Screens & Assays - Drug Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    The RAS Drug Discovery group aims to develop assays that will reveal aspects of RAS biology upon which cancer cells depend. Successful assay formats are made available for high-throughput screening programs to yield potentially effective drug compounds.

  18. Subcellular analysis of interaction between breast cancer cells and drug by digital holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Jie; Lin, Qiaowen; Wang, Dayong; Wang, Yunxin; Ouyang, Liting; Guo, Sha; Yao, Qian

    2017-10-01

    Digital holographic microscopy is a promising quantitative phase-contrast imaging technique, which exhibits the advantages of non-destruction, full field of view, quasi-real time, and don't need dye and external marker to the living biological sample. In this paper, the inverted off-axis image-plane digital holography with pre-magnification is built up to study the living MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The lateral resolution of the proposed experimental setup is 0.87μm, which is verified by the standard USAF test target. Then the system is used to visualize the interaction between living breast cancer cells and drug. The blebbing is observed after the cells are treated by paclitaxel drug, and the distribution of the paclitaxel inside the cells is detected, which is near the cytomembrane, or in other words the end of the microtubules. It will stop the mitosis and cause the death of the cells. It is helpful to reveal the anticancer mechanism of paclitaxel in the subcellular scale.

  19. Concurrent new drug prescriptions and prognosis of early breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cronin-Fenton, Deirdre; Lash, Timothy L; Ahern, Thomas P

    2018-01-01

    Breast Cancer Group (DBCG) clinical database provides high-quality prospectively collected data on breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and routine follow-up for breast cancer recurrence. Individual-level linkage of DBCG data to other population-based and medical registries in Denmark, including......BACKGROUND: Myriad reports suggest that frequently used prescription drugs alter the viability of breast cancer cells in pre-clinical studies. Routine use of these drugs, therefore, may impact breast cancer prognosis, and could have important implications for public health. METHODS: The Danish...... the Danish National Prescription Registry, has facilitated large population-based pharmacoepidemiology studies. A unique advantage of using DBCG data for such studies is the ability to investigate the association of drugs with breast cancer recurrence rather than breast cancer mortality - which may...

  20. In silico modeling predicts drug sensitivity of patient-derived cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pingle, Sandeep C; Sultana, Zeba; Pastorino, Sandra; Jiang, Pengfei; Mukthavaram, Rajesh; Chao, Ying; Bharati, Ila Sri; Nomura, Natsuko; Makale, Milan; Abbasi, Taher; Kapoor, Shweta; Kumar, Ansu; Usmani, Shahabuddin; Agrawal, Ashish; Vali, Shireen; Kesari, Santosh

    2014-05-21

    Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive disease associated with poor survival. It is essential to account for the complexity of GBM biology to improve diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This complexity is best represented by the increasing amounts of profiling ("omics") data available due to advances in biotechnology. The challenge of integrating these vast genomic and proteomic data can be addressed by a comprehensive systems modeling approach. Here, we present an in silico model, where we simulate GBM tumor cells using genomic profiling data. We use this in silico tumor model to predict responses of cancer cells to targeted drugs. Initially, we probed the results from a recent hypothesis-independent, empirical study by Garnett and co-workers that analyzed the sensitivity of hundreds of profiled cancer cell lines to 130 different anticancer agents. We then used the tumor model to predict sensitivity of patient-derived GBM cell lines to different targeted therapeutic agents. Among the drug-mutation associations reported in the Garnett study, our in silico model accurately predicted ~85% of the associations. While testing the model in a prospective manner using simulations of patient-derived GBM cell lines, we compared our simulation predictions with experimental data using the same cells in vitro. This analysis yielded a ~75% agreement of in silico drug sensitivity with in vitro experimental findings. These results demonstrate a strong predictability of our simulation approach using the in silico tumor model presented here. Our ultimate goal is to use this model to stratify patients for clinical trials. By accurately predicting responses of cancer cells to targeted agents a priori, this in silico tumor model provides an innovative approach to personalizing therapy and promises to improve clinical management of cancer.

  1. Molecular chess? Hallmarks of anti-cancer drug resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cree, Ian A; Charlton, Peter

    2017-01-05

    The development of resistance is a problem shared by both classical chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Patients may respond well at first, but relapse is inevitable for many cancer patients, despite many improvements in drugs and their use over the last 40 years. Resistance to anti-cancer drugs can be acquired by several mechanisms within neoplastic cells, defined as (1) alteration of drug targets, (2) expression of drug pumps, (3) expression of detoxification mechanisms, (4) reduced susceptibility to apoptosis, (5) increased ability to repair DNA damage, and (6) altered proliferation. It is clear, however, that changes in stroma and tumour microenvironment, and local immunity can also contribute to the development of resistance. Cancer cells can and do use several of these mechanisms at one time, and there is considerable heterogeneity between tumours, necessitating an individualised approach to cancer treatment. As tumours are heterogeneous, positive selection of a drug-resistant population could help drive resistance, although acquired resistance cannot simply be viewed as overgrowth of a resistant cancer cell population. The development of such resistance mechanisms can be predicted from pre-existing genomic and proteomic profiles, and there are increasingly sophisticated methods to measure and then tackle these mechanisms in patients. The oncologist is now required to be at least one step ahead of the cancer, a process that can be likened to 'molecular chess'. Thus, as well as an increasing role for predictive biomarkers to clinically stratify patients, it is becoming clear that personalised strategies are required to obtain best results.

  2. Tumour biology of obesity-related cancers: understanding the molecular concept for better diagnosis and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teoh, Seong Lin; Das, Srijit

    2016-11-01

    Obesity continues to be a major global problem. Various cancers are related to obesity and proper understanding of their aetiology, especially their molecular tumour biology is important for early diagnosis and better treatment. Genes play an important role in the development of obesity. Few genes such as leptin, leptin receptor encoded by the db (diabetes), pro-opiomelanocortin, AgRP and NPY and melanocortin-4 receptors and insulin-induced gene 2 were linked to obesity. MicroRNAs control gene expression via mRNA degradation and protein translation inhibition and influence cell differentiation, cell growth and cell death. Overexpression of miR-143 inhibits tumour growth by suppressing B cell lymphoma 2, extracellular signal-regulated kinase-5 activities and KRAS oncogene. Cancers of the breast, uterus, renal, thyroid and liver are also related to obesity. Any disturbance in the production of sex hormones and insulin, leads to distortion in the balance between cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The possible mechanism linking obesity to cancer involves alteration in the level of adipokines and sex hormones. These mediators act as biomarkers for cancer progression and act as targets for cancer therapy and prevention. Interestingly, many anti-cancerous drugs are also beneficial in treating obesity and vice versa. We also reviewed the possible link in the mechanism of few drugs which act both on cancer and obesity. The present review may be important for molecular biologists, oncologists and clinicians treating cancers and also pave the way for better therapeutic options.

  3. [The molecular biology of epithelial ovarian cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leary, Alexandra; Pautier, Patricia; Tazi, Youssef; Morice, Philippe; Duvillard, Pierre; Gouy, Sébastien; Uzan, Catherine; Gauthier, Hélène; Balleyguier, Corinne; Lhommé, Catherine

    2012-12-01

    Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently presents at an advanced stage where the cornerstone of management remains surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy. Unfortunately, despite sometimes dramatic initial responses, advanced ovarian cancer almost invariably relapses. Little progress has been made in the identification of effective targeted-therapies for ovarian cancer. The majority of clinical trials investigating novel agents have been negative and the only approved targeted-therapy is bevacizumab, for which reliable predictive biomarkers still elude us. Ovarian cancer is treated as a uniform disease. Yet, biological studies have highlighted the heterogeneity of this malignancy with marked differences in histology, oncogenesis, prognosis, chemo-responsiveness, and molecular profile. Recent high throughput molecular analyses have identified a huge number of genomic/phenotypic alterations. Broadly speaking, high grade serous carcinomas (type II) display significant genomic instability and numerous amplifications and losses; low grade (type I) tumors are genomically stable but display frequent mutations. Importantly, many of these genomic alterations relate to known oncogenes for which targeted-therapies are available or in development. There is today a real potential for personalized medicine in ovarian cancer. We will review the current literature regarding the molecular characterization of epithelial ovarian cancer and discuss the biological rationale for a number of targeted strategies. In order to translate these biological advances into meaningful clinical improvements for our patients, it is imperative to incorporate translational research in ovarian cancer trials, a number of strategies will be proposed such as the acquisition of quality tumor samples, including sequential pre- and post-treatment biopsies, the potential of liquid biopsies, and novel trial designs more adapted to the molecular era of ovarian cancer research.

  4. Predicting the Toxicity of Adjuvant Breast Cancer Drug Combination Therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Neratinib Versus Lapatinib Plus Capecitabine For ErbB2 Positive Advanced Breast Cancer Active, not recruiting No Results Available YES neratinib -9...Drug: Neratinib |Drug: Lapatinib|Drug: Capecitabine Efficacy and Safety of BMS-690514 in Combination With Letrozole to Treat Metastatic Breast Cancer

  5. Take with Food: Study Tests Lowering Dose of Prostate Cancer Drug

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Cancer Currents Blog Cancer Currents Blog Take with Food: Study Tests Lowering Dose of Prostate Cancer Drug Subscribe April ... to this page included, e.g., “Take with Food: Study Tests Lowering Dose of Prostate Cancer Drug was originally ...

  6. Molecular biology of gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cervantes, A; Rodríguez Braun, E; Pérez Fidalgo, A; Chirivella González, I

    2007-04-01

    Despite its decreasing incidence overall, gastric cancer is still a challenging disease. Therapy is based mainly upon surgical resection when the tumour remains localised in the stomach. Conventional chemotherapy may play a role in treating micrometastatic disease and is effective as palliative therapy for recurrent or advanced disease. However, the knowledge of molecular pathways implicated in gastric cancer pathogenesis is still in its infancy and the contribution of molecular biology to the development of new targeted therapies in gastric cancer is far behind other more common cancers such as breast, colon or lung. This review will focus first on the difference of two well defined types of gastric cancer: intestinal and diffuse. A discussion of the cell of origin of gastric cancer with some intriguing data implicating bone marrow derived cells will follow, and a comprehensive review of different genetic alterations detected in gastric cancer, underlining those that may have clinical, therapeutic or prognostic implications.

  7. Drug Delivery Approaches for the Treatment of Cervical Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farideh Ordikhani

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Cervical cancer is a highly prevalent cancer that affects women around the world. With the availability of new technologies, researchers have increased their efforts to develop new drug delivery systems in cervical cancer chemotherapy. In this review, we summarized some of the recent research in systematic and localized drug delivery systems and compared the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.

  8. Nanofibrous matrixes with biologically active hydroxybenzophenazine pyrazolone compound for cancer theranostics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kandhasamy, Subramani; Ramanathan, Giriprasath; Muthukumar, Thangavelu; Thyagarajan, SitaLakshmi; Umamaheshwari, Narayanan; Santhanakrishnan, V P; Sivagnanam, Uma Tiruchirapalli; Perumal, Paramasivan Thirumalai

    2017-01-01

    proliferation of cancerous cells. We anticipate that our results can provide better potential research in nanomaterial based cancer research. - Highlights: • Biologically active compound with nanomaterial has been investigated in cancer research. • Novel hydroxybenzo[a]phenazin-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one compound 5i (BPP) was synthesized • Novel green approach used to synthesize the bioactive heterocyclices for in the field of drug discovery. • The PHB-PCL-BPP nanofibrous scaffold was checked for the cytotoxicity against the MCF-7 aHep-2 and fibroblast cell lines. • The nanofibrous scaffold with BPP can induce apoptosis and also suppress the proliferation of cancerous cells.

  9. Nanofibrous matrixes with biologically active hydroxybenzophenazine pyrazolone compound for cancer theranostics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kandhasamy, Subramani [Organic Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India); Ramanathan, Giriprasath [Bioproducts Lab, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India); Muthukumar, Thangavelu [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (IKE), Division of Neuro and Inflammation Sciences (NIV), Linkoping University (Sweden); Thyagarajan, SitaLakshmi [Bioproducts Lab, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India); Umamaheshwari, Narayanan [Organic Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India); Santhanakrishnan, V P [Department of Plant Biotechnology, TNAU, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu (India); Sivagnanam, Uma Tiruchirapalli, E-mail: suma67@gmail.com [Bioproducts Lab, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India); Perumal, Paramasivan Thirumalai, E-mail: ptperumal@gmail.com [Organic Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai 600020, Tamilnadu (India)

    2017-05-01

    proliferation of cancerous cells. We anticipate that our results can provide better potential research in nanomaterial based cancer research. - Highlights: • Biologically active compound with nanomaterial has been investigated in cancer research. • Novel hydroxybenzo[a]phenazin-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one compound 5i (BPP) was synthesized • Novel green approach used to synthesize the bioactive heterocyclices for in the field of drug discovery. • The PHB-PCL-BPP nanofibrous scaffold was checked for the cytotoxicity against the MCF-7 aHep-2 and fibroblast cell lines. • The nanofibrous scaffold with BPP can induce apoptosis and also suppress the proliferation of cancerous cells.

  10. Evolutionary foundations for cancer biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aktipis, C Athena; Nesse, Randolph M

    2013-01-01

    New applications of evolutionary biology are transforming our understanding of cancer. The articles in this special issue provide many specific examples, such as microorganisms inducing cancers, the significance of within-tumor heterogeneity, and the possibility that lower dose chemotherapy may sometimes promote longer survival. Underlying these specific advances is a large-scale transformation, as cancer research incorporates evolutionary methods into its toolkit, and asks new evolutionary questions about why we are vulnerable to cancer. Evolution explains why cancer exists at all, how neoplasms grow, why cancer is remarkably rare, and why it occurs despite powerful cancer suppression mechanisms. Cancer exists because of somatic selection; mutations in somatic cells result in some dividing faster than others, in some cases generating neoplasms. Neoplasms grow, or do not, in complex cellular ecosystems. Cancer is relatively rare because of natural selection; our genomes were derived disproportionally from individuals with effective mechanisms for suppressing cancer. Cancer occurs nonetheless for the same six evolutionary reasons that explain why we remain vulnerable to other diseases. These four principles-cancers evolve by somatic selection, neoplasms grow in complex ecosystems, natural selection has shaped powerful cancer defenses, and the limitations of those defenses have evolutionary explanations-provide a foundation for understanding, preventing, and treating cancer.

  11. The impact of cancer drug wastage on economic evaluations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, Judy; Cheung, Matthew C; Mai, Helen; Letargo, Jessa; Chambers, Alexandra; Sabharwal, Mona; Trudeau, Maureen E; Chan, Kelvin K W

    2017-09-15

    The objective of this study was to determine the impact of modeling cancer drug wastage in economic evaluations because wastage can result from single-dose vials on account of body surface area- or weight-based dosing. Intravenous chemotherapy drugs were identified from the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review (pCODR) program as of January 2015. Economic evaluations performed by drug manufacturers and pCODR were reviewed. Cost-effectiveness analyses and budget impact analyses were conducted for no-wastage and maximum-wastage scenarios (ie, the entire unused portion of the vial was discarded at each infusion). Sensitivity analyses were performed for a range of body surface areas and weights. Twelve drugs used for 17 indications were analyzed. Wastage was reported (ie, assumptions were explicit) in 71% of the models and was incorporated into 53% by manufacturers; this resulted in a mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio increase of 6.1% (range, 1.3%-14.6%). pCODR reported and incorporated wastage for 59% of the models, and this resulted in a mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratio increase of 15.0% (range, 2.6%-48.2%). In the maximum-wastage scenario, there was a mean increase in the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 24.0% (range, 0.0%-97.2%), a mean increase in the 3-year total incremental budget costs of 26.0% (range, 0.0%-83.1%), and an increase in the 3-year total incremental drug budget cost of approximately CaD $102 million nationally. Changing the mean body surface area or body weight caused 45% of the drugs to have a change in the vial size and/or quantity, and this resulted in increased drug costs. Cancer drug wastage can increase drug costs but is not uniformly modeled in economic evaluations. Cancer 2017;123:3583-90. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  12. Drug transporters in breast cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kümler, Iben; Stenvang, Jan; Moreira, José

    2015-01-01

    Despite the advances that have taken place in the past decade, including the development of novel molecular targeted agents, cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the mainstay of cancer treatment. In breast cancer, anthracyclines and taxanes are the two main chemotherapeutic options used on a routine...... basis. Although effective, their usefulness is limited by the inevitable development of resistance, a lack of response to drug-induced cancer cell death. A large body of research has resulted in the characterization of a plethora of mechanisms involved in resistance; ATP-binding cassette transporter...

  13. Allosteric cross-talk in chromatin can mediate drug-drug synergy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adhireksan, Zenita; Palermo, Giulia; Riedel, Tina; Ma, Zhujun; Muhammad, Reyhan; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Dyson, Paul J.; Davey, Curt A.

    2017-03-01

    Exploitation of drug-drug synergism and allostery could yield superior therapies by capitalizing on the immensely diverse, but highly specific, potential associated with the biological macromolecular landscape. Here we describe a drug-drug synergy mediated by allosteric cross-talk in chromatin, whereby the binding of one drug alters the activity of the second. We found two unrelated drugs, RAPTA-T and auranofin, that yield a synergistic activity in killing cancer cells, which coincides with a substantially greater number of chromatin adducts formed by one of the compounds when adducts from the other agent are also present. We show that this occurs through an allosteric mechanism within the nucleosome, whereby defined histone adducts of one drug promote reaction of the other drug at a distant, specific histone site. This opens up possibilities for epigenetic targeting and suggests that allosteric modulation in nucleosomes may have biological relevance and potential for therapeutic interventions.

  14. Combined photothermo-chemotherapy using gold nanoshells on drug-loaded micelles for colorectal cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Shin-Yu; Shieh, Ming-Jium

    2018-02-01

    Combined photothermo-chemotherapy is a new strategy for cancer treatment which improves the therapeutic outcome by synergistic effects of both therapies. Here, we presented a multifunctional gold nanoshell that exhibited excellent photothermal conversion and delivered the hydrophobic chemotherapy drug, SN-38. The positively charged SN-38-loaded PDMA-PCL micelles were decorated with a gold layer by in situ reduction of chloroauric acid on the surface of micelles. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images proved micelles were successfully decorated and the resulting gold nanoshells had a spherical morphology with a narrow size distribution. The synthesized gold nanoshells displayed a broad surface plasmon resonance peak in the near-infrared wavelength region and a great photothermal conversion ability. After pegylation, gold nanoshells were stable in biological media and appeared highly biocompatible in the absence of laser irradiation. Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, incident energy was converted into heat by gold nanoshells on SN-38-loaded micelles (SN-38@pGNS), which causes local temperature increase and triggers the release of encapsulated drug. Compared to SN-38, SN-38-loaded micelles, or laser with drug-free gold nanoshells alone, combined photothermo-chemotherapy using SN-38@pGNS with laser irradiation killed colorectal cancer cells with higher efficacy in vitro and demonstrated significant tumor suppression in vivo, suggesting that gold nanoshells on drug-loaded micelles delivered SN-38 and photothermal therapy in synergistic actions and might be a potential candidate for future colorectal cancer therapy.

  15. Radiation biology as a basis for multidisciplinary cancer therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosoya, N.

    2017-01-01

    The research field of radiation biology has progressed greatly thanks to the advances in molecular biology. DNA in the cell nucleus is the principal target of radiation. The biological effect of radiation can be determined by how the DNA damage is processed in the cell. In order to prevent deleterious biological effects due to DNA damage, the cells possess a system termed 'DNA damage response'. The DNA damage response finally induces cell cycle arrest, activation of DNA repair pathways, or cell death. If accurately repaired, DNA damage will result in survival of cells with no biological effects. If inaccurately repaired, DNA damage may result in survival of cells exhibiting genetic alterations, which can lead to the development of various diseases including cancer. If unrepaired, fatal DNA damage such as the DNA double-strand break will result in cell depth. Since radiation therapy and chemotherapy are designed to specifically kill cancer cells by inducing DNA double-strand breaks, it is important to take advantage of cancer-specific abnormalities in DNA damage response. In this review, I describe the impact of targeting DNA damage response in cancer therapy and show how progress in radiation biology has contributed to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. (author)

  16. Lipophilic drug transfer between liposomal and biological membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fahr, Alfred; van Hoogevest, Peter; Kuntsche, Judith

    2006-01-01

    This review presents the current knowledge on the interaction of lipophilic, poorly water soluble drugs with liposomal and biological membranes. The center of attention will be on drugs having the potential to dissolve in a lipid membrane without perturbing them too much. The degree of interaction...... is described as solubility of a drug in phospholipid membranes and the kinetics of transfer of a lipophilic drug between membranes. Finally, the consequences of these two factors on the design of lipid-based carriers for oral, as well as parenteral use, for lipophilic drugs and lead selection of oral...... lipophilic drugs is described. Since liposomes serve as model-membranes for natural membranes, the assessment of lipid solubility and transfer kinetics of lipophilic drug using liposome formulations may additionally have predictive value for bioavailability and biodistribution and the pharmacokinetics...

  17. Hedgehog Signals Mediate Anti-Cancer Drug Resistance in Three-Dimensional Primary Colorectal Cancer Organoid Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatsuya Usui

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Colorectal cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, combination treatment with several anti-cancer drugs is employed and improves overall survival in some patients. Nevertheless, most patients with metastatic disease are not cured owing to the drug resistance. Cancer stem cells are known to regulate resistance to chemotherapy. In the previous study, we established a novel three-dimensional organoid culture model from tumor colorectal tissues of human patients using an air–liquid interface (ALI method, which contained numerous cancer stem cells and showed resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU and Irinotecan. Here, we investigate which inhibitor for stem cell-related signal improves the sensitivity for anti-cancer drug treatment in tumor ALI organoids. Treatment with Hedgehog signal inhibitors (AY9944, GANT61 decreases the cell viability of organoids compared with Notch (YO-01027, DAPT and Wnt (WAV939, Wnt-C59 signal inhibitors. Combination treatment of AY9944 or GANT61 with 5-FU, Irinotecan or Oxaliplatin decreases the cell viability of tumor organoids compared with each anti-cancer drug alone treatment. Treatment with AY9944 or GANT61 inhibits expression of stem cell markers c-Myc, CD44 and Nanog, likely through the decrease of their transcription factor, GLI-1 expression. Combination treatment of AY9944 or GANT61 with 5-FU or Irinotecan also prevents colony formation of colorectal cancer cell lines HCT116 and SW480. These findings suggest that Hedgehog signals mediate anti-cancer drug resistance in colorectal tumor patient-derived ALI organoids and that the inhibitors are useful as a combinational therapeutic strategy against colorectal cancer.

  18. 3-Dimensional quantitative detection of nanoparticle content in biological tissue samples after local cancer treatment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rahn, Helene, E-mail: helene.rahn@gmail.com [Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Chair of Magnetofluiddynamics, Technische Universitaet Dresden, Dresden 01069 (Germany); Alexiou, Christoph [ENT-Department, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine (Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftungsprofessur), University Hospital Erlangen, Waldstraße 1, Erlangen 91054 (Germany); Trahms, Lutz [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestraße 2-12, Berlin 10587 (Germany); Odenbach, Stefan [Institute of Fluid Mechanics, Chair of Magnetofluiddynamics, Technische Universitaet Dresden, Dresden 01069 (Germany)

    2014-06-01

    X-ray computed tomography is nowadays used for a wide range of applications in medicine, science and technology. X-ray microcomputed tomography (XµCT) follows the same principles used for conventional medical CT scanners, but improves the spatial resolution to a few micrometers. We present an example of an application of X-ray microtomography, a study of 3-dimensional biodistribution, as along with the quantification of nanoparticle content in tumoral tissue after minimally invasive cancer therapy. One of these minimal invasive cancer treatments is magnetic drug targeting, where the magnetic nanoparticles are used as controllable drug carriers. The quantification is based on a calibration of the XµCT-equipment. The developed calibration procedure of the X-ray-µCT-equipment is based on a phantom system which allows the discrimination between the various gray values of the data set. These phantoms consist of a biological tissue substitute and magnetic nanoparticles. The phantoms have been studied with XµCT and have been examined magnetically. The obtained gray values and nanoparticle concentration lead to a calibration curve. This curve can be applied to tomographic data sets. Accordingly, this calibration enables a voxel-wise assignment of gray values in the digital tomographic data set to nanoparticle content. Thus, the calibration procedure enables a 3-dimensional study of nanoparticle distribution as well as concentration. - Highlights: • Local cancer treatments are promising in reducing negative side effects occurring during conventional chemotherapy. • The nanoparticles play an important role in delivering drugs to the designated area during local cancer treatments as magnetic drug targeting. • We study the nanoparticles distribution in tumor tissue after magnetic drug targeting with X-ray computed tomography. • We achieved a 3-dimensional quantification of the nanoparticles content in tumor tissue out of digital tomographic data.

  19. Uncovering the Biology of Cancers in Adolescents and Young Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evidence suggests that some adolescent and young adult cancers may have unique genetic and biological features. Researchers are trying to better understand the biology of these cancers in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.

  20. An in vivo C. elegans model system for screening EGFR-inhibiting anti-cancer drugs.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Ki Bae

    Full Text Available The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR is a well-established target for cancer treatment. EGFR tyrosine kinase (TK inhibitors, such as gefinitib and erlotinib, have been developed as anti-cancer drugs. Although non-small cell lung carcinoma with an activating EGFR mutation, L858R, responds well to gefinitib and erlotinib, tumors with a doubly mutated EGFR, T790M-L858R, acquire resistance to these drugs. The C. elegans EGFR homolog LET-23 and its downstream signaling pathway have been studied extensively to provide insight into regulatory mechanisms conserved from C. elegans to humans. To develop an in vivo screening system for potential cancer drugs targeting specific EGFR mutants, we expressed three LET-23 chimeras in which the TK domain was replaced with either the human wild-type TK domain (LET-23::hEGFR-TK, a TK domain with the L858R mutation (LET-23::hEGFR-TK[L858R], or a TK domain with the T790M-L858R mutations (LET-23::hEGFR-TK[T790M-L858R] in C. elegans vulval cells using the let-23 promoter. The wild-type hEGFR-TK chimeric protein rescued the let-23 mutant phenotype, and the activating mutant hEGFR-TK chimeras induced a multivulva (Muv phenotype in a wild-type C. elegans background. The anti-cancer drugs gefitinib and erlotinib suppressed the Muv phenotype in LET-23::hEGFR-TK[L858R]-expressing transgenic animals, but not in LET-23::hEGFR-TK[T790M-L858R] transgenic animals. As a pilot screen, 8,960 small chemicals were tested for Muv suppression, and AG1478 (an EGFR-TK inhibitor and U0126 (a MEK inhibitor were identified as potential inhibitors of EGFR-mediated biological function. In conclusion, transgenic C. elegans expressing chimeric LET-23::hEGFR-TK proteins are a model system that can be used in mutation-specific screens for new anti-cancer drugs.

  1. Toxicological Analysis of Some Drugs of Abuse in Biological Samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Marie Ciobanu

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Consumption of drugs of abuse is a scourge of modern world. Abuse, drug addiction and their consequences are one of the major current problems of European society because of the significant repercussions in individual, family, social and economic level. In this context, toxicological analysis of the drugs of abuse in biological samples is a useful tool for: diagnosis of drug addiction, checking an auto-response, mandatory screening in some treatment programs, identification of a substance in the case of an overdose, determining compliance of the treatment. The present paper aims to address the needs of healthcare professionals involved in drugs addiction treatment through systematic presentation of information regarding their toxicological analysis. Basically, it is a tool that help you to select the suitable biological sample and the right collecting time, as well as the proper analysis technique, depending on the purpose of analysis, pharmacokinetic characteristics of the drugs of abuse, available equipment and staff expertise.

  2. A new strategy to deliver synthetic protein drugs: self-reproducible biologics using minicircles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Hyoju; Kim, Youngkyun; Kim, Juryun; Jung, Hyerin; Rim, Yeri Alice; Jung, Seung Min; Park, Sung-Hwan; Ju, Ji Hyeon

    2014-08-05

    Biologics are the most successful drugs used in anticytokine therapy. However, they remain partially unsuccessful because of the elevated cost of their synthesis and purification. Development of novel biologics has also been hampered by the high cost. Biologics are made of protein components; thus, theoretically, they can be produced in vivo. Here we tried to invent a novel strategy to allow the production of synthetic drugs in vivo by the host itself. The recombinant minicircles encoding etanercept or tocilizumab, which are synthesized currently by pharmaceutical companies, were injected intravenously into animal models. Self-reproduced etanercept and tocilizumab were detected in the serum of mice. Moreover, arthritis subsided in mice that were injected with minicircle vectors carrying biologics. Self-reproducible biologics need neither factory facilities for drug production nor clinical processes, such as frequent drug injection. Although this novel strategy is in its very early conceptual stage, it seems to represent a potential alternative method for the delivery of biologics.

  3. Infringement of the barriers of cancer via dietary phytoconstituents capsaicin through novel drug delivery system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giri, Tapan Kumar; Alexander, Amit; Ajazuddin; Barman, Tapan Kumar; Maity, Subhasis

    2016-01-01

    Cancer is the major cause of fatality and the number of new cases is increasing incessantly. Conventional therapies and existing anticancer agents cause serious side effects and expand the patient's lifespan by a few years. There is the need to exploit alternative anticancer agents and novel drug delivery system to deliver these agents to the tumor site for the prevention of cancer. Recently, biologically active compounds isolated from plants used for the management of cancer have been the heart of interest. Capsaicin is a major pungent agent present in the chili peppers that is heavily consumed in the world. Capsaicin has demonstrated effectiveness as an anticancer agent, but a restraining factor is its pungency, extremely low aqueous solubility, and poor oral bioavailability which impede its use as an anticancer agent. Many technologies have been developed and applied to conquer this drawback. We bring to light the benefits of this phytoconstituent for treating different types of cancer. We also discussed some of the delivery approaches that have already made an impact by either delivering a drug to target tissue or increasing its bioavailability by many folds.

  4. Use of fertility drugs and risk of ovarian cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diergaarde, Brenda; Kurta, Michelle L

    2014-06-01

    The purpose of this review is to highlight recent research and insights into the relationship between fertility drug use and ovarian cancer risk. Results from two large case-control studies provided further evidence that fertility drug use does not significantly contribute to risk of ovarian cancer among the majority of women when adjusting for known confounding factors. However, questions regarding the effect on certain subgroups, including long-term fertility drug users, women who remain nulligravid after fertility treatment, women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and borderline ovarian tumours, still remain. In addition, it may currently just be too early to determine whether there is an association between fertility drug use and ovarian cancer risk given that many of the exposed women are only now beginning to reach the ovarian cancer age range. Whether use of fertility drugs increases the risk of ovarian cancer is an important question that requires further investigation, in particular given the large number of women utilizing fertility treatments. Fortunately, results from recent studies have been mainly reassuring. Large well designed studies with sufficient follow-up time are needed to further evaluate the effects of fertility treatments within subgroups defined by patient and tumour characteristics.

  5. CDK-mediated activation of the SCF(FBXO) (28) ubiquitin ligase promotes MYC-driven transcription and tumourigenesis and predicts poor survival in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cepeda, Diana; Ng, Hwee-Fang; Sharifi, Hamid Reza; Mahmoudi, Salah; Cerrato, Vanessa Soto; Fredlund, Erik; Magnusson, Kristina; Nilsson, Helén; Malyukova, Alena; Rantala, Juha; Klevebring, Daniel; Viñals, Francesc; Bhaskaran, Nimesh; Zakaria, Siti Mariam; Rahmanto, Aldwin Suryo; Grotegut, Stefan; Nielsen, Michael Lund; Szigyarto, Cristina Al-Khalili; Sun, Dahui; Lerner, Mikael; Navani, Sanjay; Widschwendter, Martin; Uhlén, Mathias; Jirström, Karin; Pontén, Fredrik; Wohlschlegel, James; Grandér, Dan; Spruck, Charles; Larsson, Lars-Gunnar; Sangfelt, Olle

    2013-07-01

    SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F-box) ubiquitin ligases act as master regulators of cellular homeostasis by targeting key proteins for ubiquitylation. Here, we identified a hitherto uncharacterized F-box protein, FBXO28 that controls MYC-dependent transcription by non-proteolytic ubiquitylation. SCF(FBXO28) activity and stability are regulated during the cell cycle by CDK1/2-mediated phosphorylation of FBXO28, which is required for its efficient ubiquitylation of MYC and downsteam enhancement of the MYC pathway. Depletion of FBXO28 or overexpression of an F-box mutant unable to support MYC ubiquitylation results in an impairment of MYC-driven transcription, transformation and tumourigenesis. Finally, in human breast cancer, high FBXO28 expression and phosphorylation are strong and independent predictors of poor outcome. In conclusion, our data suggest that SCF(FBXO28) plays an important role in transmitting CDK activity to MYC function during the cell cycle, emphasizing the CDK-FBXO28-MYC axis as a potential molecular drug target in MYC-driven cancers, including breast cancer. © 2013 The Authors. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Ltd on behalf of EMBO.

  6. New use of prescription drugs prior to a cancer diagnosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pottegård, Anton; Hallas, Jesper

    2017-01-01

    PURPOSE: Cancers often have considerable induction periods. This confers a risk of reverse causation bias in studies of cancer risk associated with drug use, as early symptoms of a yet undiagnosed cancer might lead to drug treatment in the period leading up to the diagnosis. This bias can be alle...

  7. Cancer Drugs: An International Comparison of Postlicensing Price Inflation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savage, Philip; Mahmoud, Sarah; Patel, Yogin; Kantarjian, Hagop

    2017-06-01

    The cost of cancer drugs forms a rising proportion of health care budgets worldwide. A number of studies have examined international comparisons of initial cost, but there is little work on postlicensing price increases. To examine this, we compared cancer drug prices at initial sale and subsequent price inflation in the United States and United Kingdom and also reviewed relevant price control mechanisms. The 10 top-selling cancer drugs were selected, and their prices at initial launch and in 2015 were compared. Standard nondiscounted prices were obtained from the relevant annual copies of the RED BOOK and the British National Formulary. At initial marketing, prices were on average 42% higher in the United States than in the United Kingdom. After licensing in the United States, all 10 drugs had price rises averaging an overall annual 8.8% (range, 1.4% to 24.1%) increase. In comparison, in the United Kingdom, six drugs had unchanged prices, two had decreased prices, and two had modest price increases. The overall annual increase in the United Kingdom was 0.24%. Cancer drug prices are rising substantially, both at their initial marketing price and, in the United States, at postlicensing prices. In the United Kingdom, the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, an agreement between the government and the pharmaceutical industry, controls health care costs while allowing a return on investment and funds for research. The increasing costs of cancer drugs are approaching the limits of sustainability, and a similar government-industry agreement may allow stability for both health care provision and the pharmaceutical industry in the United States.

  8. Sex as a biological variable: Drug use and abuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riley, Anthony L; Hempel, Briana J; Clasen, Matthew M

    2018-04-01

    The study of sex as a biological variable is a necessary emphasis across a wide array of endpoints, including basic neuroscience, medicine, mental health, physiology and behavior. The present review summarizes work from clinical and preclinical populations on sex differences in drug use and abuse, ranging from initiation to escalation/dysregulation and from drug cessation/abstinence to relapse. These differences are analyzed in the context of the addiction cycle conceptualization of Koob and his colleagues and address patterns of drug use (binge/intoxication), motivation underlying its use (withdrawal/negative affect) and likelihood and causes of craving and relapse of drug taking (preoccupation/anticipation). Following this overview, an assessment of the basis for the reported sex differences is discussed in the context of the affective (rewarding and aversive) properties of drugs of abuse and how such properties and their balance vary with sex and contribute to drug intake. Finally, the interaction of sex with several experiential (drug history) and subject (age) factors and how these interactions affect reward and aversion are discussed to highlight the importance of understanding such interactions in predicting drug use and abuse. We note that sex as a biological variable remains one of critical evaluation and that such investigations of sex differences in drug use and abuse continue and be expanded to assess all facets of their mediation, including these affective properties, how their balance may be impacted by the multiple conditions under which drugs are taken and how this overall balance affects drug use and addiction vulnerability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Application of drug delivery system to boron neutron capture therapy for cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanagië, Hironobu; Ogata, Aya; Sugiyama, Hirotaka; Eriguchi, Masazumi; Takamoto, Shinichi; Takahashi, Hiroyuki

    2008-04-01

    Tumor cell destruction in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is due to the nuclear reaction between (10)B and thermal neutrons ((10)B + (1)n --> (7)Li + (4)He (alpha) + 2.31 MeV (93.7 %)/2.79 MeV (6.3 %)). The resulting lithium ions and alphaparticles are high linear energy transfer (LET) particles which give a high biological effect. Their short range in tissue (5 - 9 mum) restricts radiation damage to those cells in which boron atoms are located at the time of neutron irradiation. BNCT has been applied clinically for the treatment of malignant brain tumors, malignant melanoma, head and neck cancer and hepatoma. Sodium mercaptoundecahydro-dodecaborate (Na(2)(10)B(12)H(11)SH: BSH) and borono-phenylalanine ((10)BPA) are currently being used in clinical treatments. These low molecule compounds are easily cleared from cancer cells and blood, so high accumulation and selective delivery of boron compounds into tumor tissues and cancer cells are most important to achieve effective BNCT and to avoid damage to adjacent healthy cells. In order to achieve the selective delivery of boron atoms to cancer cells, a drug delivery system (DDS) is an attractive intelligent technology for targeting and controlled release of drugs. We performed literature searches related to boron delivery systems in vitro and in vivo. We describe several DDS technologies for boron delivery to cancer tissues and cancer cells from the past to current status. We are convinced that it will be possible to use liposomes, monoclonal antibodies and WOW emulsions as boron delivery systems for BNCT clinically in accordance with the preparation of good commercial product (GCP) grade materials.

  10. Drug Resistance and the Kinetics of Metastatic Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blagoev, Krastan B.

    2012-02-01

    Most metastatic cancers after initial response to current drug therapies develop resistance to the treatment. We present cancer data and a theory that explains the observed kinetics of tumor growth in cancer patients and using a stochastic model based on this theory we relate the kinetics of tumor growth to Kaplan-Meyer survival curves. The theory points to the tumor growth rate as the most important parameter determining the outcome of a drug treatment. The overall tumor growth or decay rate is a reflection of the balance between cell division, senescence and apoptosis and we propose that the deviation of the decay rate from exponential is a measure of the emergence of drug resistance. In clinical trials the progression free survival, the overall survival, and the shape of the Kaplan-Meyer plots are determined by the tumor growth rate probability distribution among the patients in the trial. How drug treatments modify this distribution will also be described. At the end of the talk we will discuss the connection between the theory described here and the age related cancer mortality rates in the United States.

  11. Modeling drug- and chemical- induced hepatotoxicity with systems biology approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sudin eBhattacharya

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available We provide an overview of computational systems biology approaches as applied to the study of chemical- and drug-induced toxicity. The concept of ‘toxicity pathways’ is described in the context of the 2007 US National Academies of Science report, Toxicity testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and A Strategy. Pathway mapping and modeling based on network biology concepts are a key component of the vision laid out in this report for a more biologically-based analysis of dose-response behavior and the safety of chemicals and drugs. We focus on toxicity of the liver (hepatotoxicity – a complex phenotypic response with contributions from a number of different cell types and biological processes. We describe three case studies of complementary multi-scale computational modeling approaches to understand perturbation of toxicity pathways in the human liver as a result of exposure to environmental contaminants and specific drugs. One approach involves development of a spatial, multicellular virtual tissue model of the liver lobule that combines molecular circuits in individual hepatocytes with cell-cell interactions and blood-mediated transport of toxicants through hepatic sinusoids, to enable quantitative, mechanistic prediction of hepatic dose-response for activation of the AhR toxicity pathway. Simultaneously, methods are being developing to extract quantitative maps of intracellular signaling and transcriptional regulatory networks perturbed by environmental contaminants, using a combination of gene expression and genome-wide protein-DNA interaction data. A predictive physiological model (DILIsymTM to understand drug-induced liver injury (DILI, the most common adverse event leading to termination of clinical development programs and regulatory actions on drugs, is also described. The model initially focuses on reactive metabolite-induced DILI in response to administration of acetaminophen, and spans multiple biological scales.

  12. Biology of Addiction: Drugs and Alcohol Can Hijack Your Brain

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Special Issues Subscribe October 2015 Print this issue Biology of Addiction Drugs and Alcohol Can Hijack Your ... scientists are working to learn more about the biology of addiction. They’ve shown that addiction is ...

  13. Oncolytic herpes viruses, chemotherapeutics, and other cancer drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Braidwood L

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Lynne Braidwood,1 Sheila V Graham,2 Alex Graham,1 Joe Conner11Virttu Biologics Ltd, Department of Neurology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK; 2MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Jarrett Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKAbstract: Oncolytic viruses are emerging as a potential new way of treating cancers. They are selectively replication-competent viruses that propagate only in actively dividing tumor cells but not in normal cells and, as a result, destroy the tumor cells by consequence of lytic infection. At least six different oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs have undergone clinical trials worldwide to date, and they have demonstrated an excellent safety profile and intimations of efficacy. The first pivotal Phase III trial with an oHSV, talimogene laherparepvec (T-Vec [OncoVexGM-CSF], is almost complete, with extremely positive early results reported. Intuitively, therapeutically beneficial interactions between oHSV and chemotherapeutic and targeted therapeutic drugs would be limited as the virus requires actively dividing cells for maximum replication efficiency and most anticancer agents are cytotoxic or cytostatic. However, combinations of such agents display a range of responses, with antagonistic, additive, or, perhaps most surprisingly, synergistic enhancement of antitumor activity. When synergistic interactions in cancer cell killing are observed, chemotherapy dose reductions that achieve the same overall efficacy may be possible, resulting in a valuable reduction of adverse side effects. Therefore, the combination of an oHSV with “standard-of-care” drugs makes a logical and reasonable approach to improved therapy, and the addition of a targeted oncolytic therapy with “standard-of-care” drugs merits further investigation, both preclinically and in the clinic. Numerous publications report

  14. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh Baljit

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Nanoparticles hold tremendous potential as an effective drug delivery system. In this review we discussed recent developments in nanotechnology for drug delivery. To overcome the problems of gene and drug delivery, nanotechnology has gained interest in recent years. Nanosystems with different compositions and biological properties have been extensively investigated for drug and gene delivery applications. To achieve efficient drug delivery it is important to understand the interactions of nanomaterials with the biological environment, targeting cell-surface receptors, drug release, multiple drug administration, stability of therapeutic agents and molecular mechanisms of cell signalling involved in pathobiology of the disease under consideration. Several anti-cancer drugs including paclitaxel, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil and dexamethasone have been successfully formulated using nanomaterials. Quantom dots, chitosan, Polylactic/glycolic acid (PLGA and PLGA-based nanoparticles have also been used for in vitro RNAi delivery. Brain cancer is one of the most difficult malignancies to detect and treat mainly because of the difficulty in getting imaging and therapeutic agents past the blood-brain barrier and into the brain. Anti-cancer drugs such as loperamide and doxorubicin bound to nanomaterials have been shown to cross the intact blood-brain barrier and released at therapeutic concentrations in the brain. The use of nanomaterials including peptide-based nanotubes to target the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF receptor and cell adhesion molecules like integrins, cadherins and selectins, is a new approach to control disease progression.

  15. RANK rewires energy homeostasis in lung cancer cells and drives primary lung cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Shuan; Sigl, Verena; Wimmer, Reiner Alois; Novatchkova, Maria; Jais, Alexander; Wagner, Gabriel; Handschuh, Stephan; Uribesalgo, Iris; Hagelkruys, Astrid; Kozieradzki, Ivona; Tortola, Luigi; Nitsch, Roberto; Cronin, Shane J; Orthofer, Michael; Branstetter, Daniel; Canon, Jude; Rossi, John; D'Arcangelo, Manolo; Botling, Johan; Micke, Patrick; Fleur, Linnea La; Edlund, Karolina; Bergqvist, Michael; Ekman, Simon; Lendl, Thomas; Popper, Helmut; Takayanagi, Hiroshi; Kenner, Lukas; Hirsch, Fred R; Dougall, William; Penninger, Josef M

    2017-10-15

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Besides smoking, epidemiological studies have linked female sex hormones to lung cancer in women; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we report that the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB (RANK), the key regulator of osteoclastogenesis, is frequently expressed in primary lung tumors, an active RANK pathway correlates with decreased survival, and pharmacologic RANK inhibition reduces tumor growth in patient-derived lung cancer xenografts. Clonal genetic inactivation of KRas G12D in mouse lung epithelial cells markedly impairs the progression of KRas G12D -driven lung cancer, resulting in a significant survival advantage. Mechanistically, RANK rewires energy homeostasis in human and murine lung cancer cells and promotes expansion of lung cancer stem-like cells, which is blocked by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. Our data also indicate survival differences in KRas G12D -driven lung cancer between male and female mice, and we show that female sex hormones can promote lung cancer progression via the RANK pathway. These data uncover a direct role for RANK in lung cancer and may explain why female sex hormones accelerate lung cancer development. Inhibition of RANK using the approved drug denosumab may be a therapeutic drug candidate for primary lung cancer. © 2017 Rao et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  16. Observation and Analysis of Anti-cancer Drug Use and Dose ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    As all anti-cancer drugs are of narrow therapeutic window so dose individualization is required to be done. A study was conducted to check the use of anti-cancer drugs in the local anti-cancer facility of Bahawalpur i.e. Bahawalpur Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (BINO). In this study, the dose individualization ...

  17. A computational systems biology software platform for multiscale modeling and simulation: Integrating whole-body physiology, disease biology, and molecular reaction networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas eEissing

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Today, in silico studies and trial simulations already complement experimental approaches in pharmaceutical R&D and have become indispensable tools for decision making and communication with regulatory agencies. While biology is multi-scale by nature, project work and software tools usually focus on isolated aspects of drug action, such as pharmacokinetics at the organism scale or pharmacodynamic interaction on the molecular level. We present a modeling and simulation software platform consisting of PK-Sim® and MoBi® capable of building and simulating models that integrate across biological scales. A prototypical multiscale model for the progression of a pancreatic tumor and its response to pharmacotherapy is constructed and virtual patients are treated with a prodrug activated by hepatic metabolization. Tumor growth is driven by signal transduction leading to cell cycle transition and proliferation. Free tumor concentrations of the active metabolite inhibit Raf kinase in the signaling cascade and thereby cell cycle progression. In a virtual clinical study, the individual therapeutic outcome of the chemotherapeutic intervention is simulated for a large population with heterogeneous genomic background. Thereby, the platform allows efficient model building and integration of biological knowledge and prior data from all biological scales. Experimental in vitro model systems can be linked with observations in animal experiments and clinical trials. The interplay between patients, diseases, and drugs and topics with high clinical relevance such as the role of pharmacogenomics, drug-drug or drug-metabolite interactions can be addressed using this mechanistic, insight driven multiscale modeling approach.

  18. mTOR Signaling Confers Resistance to Targeted Cancer Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guri, Yakir; Hall, Michael N

    2016-11-01

    Cancer is a complex disease and a leading cause of death worldwide. Extensive research over decades has led to the development of therapies that target cancer-specific signaling pathways. However, the clinical benefits of such drugs are at best transient due to tumors displaying intrinsic or adaptive resistance. The underlying compensatory pathways that allow cancer cells to circumvent a drug blockade are poorly understood. We review here recent studies suggesting that mammalian TOR (mTOR) signaling is a major compensatory pathway conferring resistance to many cancer drugs. mTOR-mediated resistance can be cell-autonomous or non-cell-autonomous. These findings suggest that mTOR signaling should be monitored routinely in tumors and that an mTOR inhibitor should be considered as a co-therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Drug development for breast, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancers from 1979 to 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nixon, Nancy A; Khan, Omar F; Imam, Hasiba; Tang, Patricia A; Monzon, Jose; Li, Haocheng; Sun, Gavin; Ezeife, Doreen; Parimi, Sunil; Dowden, Scot; Tam, Vincent C

    2017-12-01

    Understanding the drug development pathway is critical for streamlining the development of effective cancer treatments. The objective of the current study was to delineate the drug development timeline and attrition rate of different drug classes for common cancer disease sites. Drugs entering clinical trials for breast, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancer were identified using a pharmaceutical business intelligence database. Data regarding drug characteristics, clinical trials, and approval dates were obtained from the database, clinical trial registries, PubMed, and regulatory Web sites. A total of 411 drugs met the inclusion criteria for breast cancer, 246 drugs met the inclusion criteria for colorectal cancer, and 315 drugs met the inclusion criteria for non-small cell lung cancer. Attrition rates were 83.9% for breast cancer, 87.0% for colorectal cancer, and 92.0% for non-small cell lung cancer drugs. In the case of non-small cell lung cancer, there was a trend toward higher attrition rates for targeted monoclonal antibodies compared with other agents. No tumor site-specific differences were noted with regard to cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunomodulatory, or small molecule kinase inhibitor drugs. Drugs classified as "others" in breast cancer had lower attrition rates, primarily due to the higher success of hormonal medications. Mean drug development times were 8.9 years for breast cancer, 6.7 years for colorectal cancer, and 6.6 years for non-small cell lung cancer. Overall oncologic drug attrition rates remain high, and drugs are more likely to fail in later-stage clinical trials. The refinement of early-phase trial design may permit the selection of drugs that are more likely to succeed in the phase 3 setting. Cancer 2017;123:4672-4679. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  20. Mutational landscape of EGFR-, MYC-, and Kras-driven genetically engineered mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFadden, David G; Politi, Katerina; Bhutkar, Arjun; Chen, Frances K; Song, Xiaoling; Pirun, Mono; Santiago, Philip M; Kim-Kiselak, Caroline; Platt, James T; Lee, Emily; Hodges, Emily; Rosebrock, Adam P; Bronson, Roderick T; Socci, Nicholas D; Hannon, Gregory J; Jacks, Tyler; Varmus, Harold

    2016-10-18

    Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are increasingly being used to assess putative driver mutations identified by large-scale sequencing of human cancer genomes. To accurately interpret experiments that introduce additional mutations, an understanding of the somatic genetic profile and evolution of GEMM tumors is necessary. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of tumors from three GEMMs of lung adenocarcinoma driven by mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mutant Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (Kras), or overexpression of MYC proto-oncogene. Tumors from EGFR- and Kras-driven models exhibited, respectively, 0.02 and 0.07 nonsynonymous mutations per megabase, a dramatically lower average mutational frequency than observed in human lung adenocarcinomas. Tumors from models driven by strong cancer drivers (mutant EGFR and Kras) harbored few mutations in known cancer genes, whereas tumors driven by MYC, a weaker initiating oncogene in the murine lung, acquired recurrent clonal oncogenic Kras mutations. In addition, although EGFR- and Kras-driven models both exhibited recurrent whole-chromosome DNA copy number alterations, the specific chromosomes altered by gain or loss were different in each model. These data demonstrate that GEMM tumors exhibit relatively simple somatic genotypes compared with human cancers of a similar type, making these autochthonous model systems useful for additive engineering approaches to assess the potential of novel mutations on tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug sensitivity.

  1. Mutational landscape of EGFR-, MYC-, and Kras-driven genetically engineered mouse models of lung adenocarcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFadden, David G.; Politi, Katerina; Bhutkar, Arjun; Chen, Frances K.; Song, Xiaoling; Pirun, Mono; Santiago, Philip M.; Kim-Kiselak, Caroline; Platt, James T.; Lee, Emily; Hodges, Emily; Rosebrock, Adam P.; Bronson, Roderick T.; Socci, Nicholas D.; Hannon, Gregory J.; Jacks, Tyler; Varmus, Harold

    2016-01-01

    Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are increasingly being used to assess putative driver mutations identified by large-scale sequencing of human cancer genomes. To accurately interpret experiments that introduce additional mutations, an understanding of the somatic genetic profile and evolution of GEMM tumors is necessary. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing of tumors from three GEMMs of lung adenocarcinoma driven by mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mutant Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (Kras), or overexpression of MYC proto-oncogene. Tumors from EGFR- and Kras-driven models exhibited, respectively, 0.02 and 0.07 nonsynonymous mutations per megabase, a dramatically lower average mutational frequency than observed in human lung adenocarcinomas. Tumors from models driven by strong cancer drivers (mutant EGFR and Kras) harbored few mutations in known cancer genes, whereas tumors driven by MYC, a weaker initiating oncogene in the murine lung, acquired recurrent clonal oncogenic Kras mutations. In addition, although EGFR- and Kras-driven models both exhibited recurrent whole-chromosome DNA copy number alterations, the specific chromosomes altered by gain or loss were different in each model. These data demonstrate that GEMM tumors exhibit relatively simple somatic genotypes compared with human cancers of a similar type, making these autochthonous model systems useful for additive engineering approaches to assess the potential of novel mutations on tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and drug sensitivity. PMID:27702896

  2. RGD peptide-modified multifunctional dendrimer platform for drug encapsulation and targeted inhibition of cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xuedan; Alves, Carla S; Oliveira, Nilsa; Rodrigues, João; Zhu, Jingyi; Bányai, István; Tomás, Helena; Shi, Xiangyang

    2015-01-01

    Development of multifunctional nanoscale drug-delivery systems for targeted cancer therapy still remains a great challenge. Here, we report the synthesis of cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide-conjugated generation 5 (G5) poly(amidoamine) dendrimers for anticancer drug encapsulation and targeted therapy of cancer cells overexpressing αvβ3 integrins. In this study, amine-terminated G5 dendrimers were used as a platform to be sequentially modified with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FI) via a thiourea linkage and RGD peptide via a polyethylene glycol (PEG) spacer, followed by acetylation of the remaining dendrimer terminal amines. The developed multifunctional dendrimer platform (G5.NHAc-FI-PEG-RGD) was then used to encapsulate an anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). We show that approximately six DOX molecules are able to be encapsulated within each dendrimer platform. The formed complexes are water-soluble, stable, and able to release DOX in a sustained manner. One- and two-dimensional NMR techniques were applied to investigate the interaction between dendrimers and DOX, and the impact of the environmental pH on the release rate of DOX from the dendrimer/DOX complexes was also explored. Furthermore, cell biological studies demonstrate that the encapsulation of DOX within the G5.NHAc-FI-PEG-RGD dendrimers does not compromise the anticancer activity of DOX and that the therapeutic efficacy of the dendrimer/DOX complexes is solely related to the encapsulated DOX drug. Importantly, thanks to the role played by RGD-mediated targeting, the developed dendrimer/drug complexes are able to specifically target αvβ3 integrin-overexpressing cancer cells and display specific therapeutic efficacy to the target cells. The developed RGD peptide-targeted multifunctional dendrimers may thus be used as a versatile platform for targeted therapy of different types of αvβ3 integrin-overexpressing cancer cells. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Ultrasound-guided drug delivery in cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chowdhury, Sayan Mullick; Lee, Tae Hwa; Willmann, Jugen K. [Dept. of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford (United States)

    2017-07-15

    Recent advancements in ultrasound and microbubble (USMB) mediated drug delivery technology has shown that this approach can improve spatially confined delivery of drugs and genes to target tissues while reducing systemic dose and toxicity. The mechanism behind enhanced delivery of therapeutics is sonoporation, the formation of openings in the vasculature, induced by ultrasound-triggered oscillations and destruction of microbubbles. In this review, progress and challenges of USMB mediated drug delivery are summarized, with special focus on cancer therapy.

  4. Molecular biology of pancreatic cancer: how useful is it in clinical practice?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakorafas, George H; Smyrniotis, Vasileios

    2012-07-10

    During the recent two decades dramatic advances of molecular biology allowed an in-depth understanding of pancreatic carcinogenesis. It is currently accepted that pancreatic cancer has a genetic component. The real challenge is now how these impressive advances could be used in clinical practice. To critically present currently available data regarding clinical application of molecular biology in pancreatic cancer. Reports about clinical implications of molecular biology in patients with pancreatic cancer were retrieved from PubMed. These reports were selected on the basis of their clinical relevance, and the data of their publication (preferentially within the last 5 years). Emphasis was placed on reports investigating diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications. Molecular biology can be used to identify individuals at high-risk for pancreatic cancer development. Intensive surveillance is indicated in these patients to detect pancreatic neoplasia ideally at a preinvasive stage, when curative resection is still possible. Molecular biology can also be used in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, with molecular analysis on samples of biologic material, such as serum or plasma, duodenal fluid or preferentially pure pancreatic juice, pancreatic cells or tissue, and stools. Molecular indices have also prognostic significance. Finally, molecular biology may have therapeutic implications by using various therapeutic approaches, such as antiangiogenic factors, purine synthesis inhibitors, matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, factors modulating tumor-stroma interaction, inactivation of the hedgehog pathway, gene therapy, oncolytic viral therapy, immunotherapy (both passive as well as active) etc. Molecular biology may have important clinical implications in patients with pancreatic cancer and represents one of the most active areas on cancer research. Hopefully clinical applications of molecular biology in pancreatic cancer will expand in the future, improving the

  5. Biologic Stress, Oxidative Stress, and Resistance to Drugs: What Is Hidden Behind

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Pantelidou

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Stress can be defined as the homeostatic, nonspecific defensive response of the organism to challenges. It is expressed by morphological, biochemical, and functional changes. In this review, we present biological and oxidative stress, as well as their interrelation. In addition to the mediation in biologic stress (central nervous, immune, and hormonal systems and oxidative stress, the effect of these phenomena on xenobiotic metabolism and drug response is also examined. It is concluded that stress decreases drug response, a result which seems to be mainly attributed to the induction of hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes. A number of mechanisms are presented. Structure-activity studies are also discussed. Vitamin E, as well as two synthetic novel compounds, seem to reduce both oxidative and biological stress and, consequently, influence drug response and metabolism.

  6. A Good Year: FDA Approved Nine New Cancer Drugs in 2014

    Science.gov (United States)

    In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 41 drugs that had not been approved previously for any indication, the most in nearly 20 years. Of these 41 novel drugs, 9 were approved for the treatment of cancer or cancer-related conditions.

  7. Drug utilization of biological drugs in the treatment of chronic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs: an observational study on Italian patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paolo Faccendini

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Drug utilization of biological drugs in the treatment of chronic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs: an observational study on Italian patientsObjectives:The aim of this analysis was to provide an estimate of drug utilization indicators (dose escalation and dose tapering related to biologic drugs in the chronic treatment of adult patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMIDs.Methods:We conducted an observational retrospective cohort analysis using the Policlinico di Tor Vergata (PTV database. We considered all biologic drugs dispensed by the PTV hospital pharmacy between January 2010 and December 2015:abatacept, adalimumab, certolizumab, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab (originator and biosimilar, tocilizumab, and ustekinumab were included. Drug dose escalation and dose tapering were calculated and compared with their Defined Daily Dose (DDD.Results:A total of 1803 patients with IMID and biologic drug prescription were analyzed (male: 51.2%. The majority of patients were in the class 36-50 years (n = 612. The median follow-up was 33.8 months (IQR 14.43-56.20. Dermatology was the ward with the largest number of patients (n = 882; 48.9%, followed by rheumatology (n = 619; 34.3% and gastroenterology (n = 302; 16.8%. Dose escalation was observed in 406 patients (22.5%. Infliximab biosimilar (n = 51 was the biological drug with the highest dose escalation rate (86.3%, followed by infliximab originator (n = 28; 60.3% and ustekinumab (37.8%. Etanercept was the biological drug with the lowest dose escalation rate (7.4%, followed by golimumab (12.2% and adalimumab (13.8%. In 677 patients (37.5% a dose tapering was observed. Etanercept showed the highest rate of patients with dose tapering (41.6%, followed by adalimumab (33.6%.Conclusions:The results of this analysis show that dose modification is quite common in PTV clinical practice. Considering the strong focus on the pharmaceutical expenditure and the need of cost containment

  8. Cancer stem cells and drug resistance: the potential of nanomedicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinogradov, Serguei; Wei, Xin

    2012-01-01

    Properties of the small group of cancer cells called tumor-initiating or cancer stem cells (CSCs) involved in drug resistance, metastasis and relapse of cancers can significantly affect tumor therapy. Importantly, tumor drug resistance seems to be closely related to many intrinsic or acquired properties of CSCs, such as quiescence, specific morphology, DNA repair ability and overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins, drug efflux transporters and detoxifying enzymes. The specific microenvironment (niche) and hypoxic stability provide additional protection against anticancer therapy for CSCs. Thus, CSC-focused therapy is destined to form the core of any effective anticancer strategy. Nanomedicine has great potential in the development of CSC-targeting drugs, controlled drug delivery and release, and the design of novel gene-specific drugs and diagnostic modalities. This review is focused on tumor drug resistance-related properties of CSCs and describes current nanomedicine approaches, which could form the basis of novel combination therapies for eliminating metastatic and CSCs. PMID:22471722

  9. Ell3 stimulates proliferation, drug resistance, and cancer stem cell properties of breast cancer cells via a MEK/ERK-dependent signaling pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Hee-Jin [Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Gwangil [Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Kyung-Soon, E-mail: kspark@cha.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-08-09

    Highlights: •Ell3 enhances proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 is related to the cancer stem cell characteristics of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 enhances oncogenicity of breast cancer through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. -- Abstract: Ell3 is a RNA polymerase II transcription elongation factor that is enriched in testis. The C-terminal domain of Ell3 shows strong similarities to that of Ell (eleven−nineteen lysine-rich leukemia gene), which acts as a negative regulator of p53 and regulates cell proliferation and survival. Recent studies in our laboratory showed that Ell3 induces the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by protecting differentiating cells from apoptosis via the promotion of p53 degradation. In this study, we evaluated the function of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines. MCF-7 cell lines overexpressing Ell3 were used to examine cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties. Ectopic expression of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines induces proliferation and 5-FU resistance. In addition, Ell3 expression increases the cancer stem cell population, which is characterized by CD44 (+) or ALDH1 (+) cells. Mammosphere-forming potential and migration ability were also increased upon Ell3 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Through biochemical and molecular biological analyses, we showed that Ell3 regulates proliferation, cancer stem cell properties and drug resistance in breast cancer cell lines partly through the MEK−extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Murine xenograft experiments showed that Ell3 expression promotes tumorigenesis in vivo. These results suggest that Ell3 may play a critical role in promoting oncogenesis in breast cancer by regulating cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

  10. Ell3 stimulates proliferation, drug resistance, and cancer stem cell properties of breast cancer cells via a MEK/ERK-dependent signaling pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Hee-Jin; Kim, Gwangil; Park, Kyung-Soon

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Ell3 enhances proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 is related to the cancer stem cell characteristics of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 enhances oncogenicity of breast cancer through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. -- Abstract: Ell3 is a RNA polymerase II transcription elongation factor that is enriched in testis. The C-terminal domain of Ell3 shows strong similarities to that of Ell (eleven−nineteen lysine-rich leukemia gene), which acts as a negative regulator of p53 and regulates cell proliferation and survival. Recent studies in our laboratory showed that Ell3 induces the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by protecting differentiating cells from apoptosis via the promotion of p53 degradation. In this study, we evaluated the function of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines. MCF-7 cell lines overexpressing Ell3 were used to examine cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties. Ectopic expression of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines induces proliferation and 5-FU resistance. In addition, Ell3 expression increases the cancer stem cell population, which is characterized by CD44 (+) or ALDH1 (+) cells. Mammosphere-forming potential and migration ability were also increased upon Ell3 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Through biochemical and molecular biological analyses, we showed that Ell3 regulates proliferation, cancer stem cell properties and drug resistance in breast cancer cell lines partly through the MEK−extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Murine xenograft experiments showed that Ell3 expression promotes tumorigenesis in vivo. These results suggest that Ell3 may play a critical role in promoting oncogenesis in breast cancer by regulating cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

  11. Combining Drugs to Treat Ovarian Cancer - Annual Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Approximately 70 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die from the disease. Read about the NCI-funded combination drug trial that has successfully treated Betsy Brauser's recurrent cancer.

  12. Ultrasound-guided drug delivery in cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sayan Mullick Chowdhury

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Recent advancements in ultrasound and microbubble (USMB mediated drug delivery technology has shown that this approach can improve spatially confined delivery of drugs and genes to target tissues while reducing systemic dose and toxicity. The mechanism behind enhanced delivery of therapeutics is sonoporation, the formation of openings in the vasculature, induced by ultrasound-triggered oscillations and destruction of microbubbles. In this review, progress and challenges of USMB mediated drug delivery are summarized, with special focus on cancer therapy.

  13. Strengthening cancer biology research, prevention, and control while reducing cancer disparities: student perceptions of a collaborative master's degree program in cancer biology, preventions, and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jillson, I A; Cousin, C E; Blancato, J K

    2013-09-01

    This article provides the findings of a survey of previous and current students in the UDC/GU-LCCC master's degree program. This master's degree program, Cancer Biology, Prevention, and Control is administered and taught jointly by faculty of a Minority Serving Institution, the University of the District of Columbia, and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center to incorporate the strengths of a community-based school with a research intensive medical center. The program was initiated in 2008 through agreements with both University administrations and funding from the National Cancer Institute. The master's degree program is 36 credits with a focus on coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology, tumor biology, cancer prevention, medical ethics, and cancer outreach program design. For two semesters during the second year, students work full-time with a faculty person on a laboratory or outreach project that is a requirement for graduation. Students are supported and encouraged to transition to a doctoral degree after they obtain the master's and many of them are currently in doctorate programs. Since the inception of the program, 45 students have initiated the course of study, 28 have completed the program, and 13 are currently enrolled in the program. The survey was designed to track the students in their current activities, as well as determine which courses, program enhancements, and research experiences were the least and most useful, and to discern students' perceptions of knowledge acquired on various aspects of Cancer Biology Prevention, and Control Master's Program. Thirty of the 35 individuals to whom email requests were sent responded to the survey, for a response rate of 85.7%. The results of this study will inform the strengthening of the Cancer Biology program by the Education Advisory Committee. They can also be used in the development of comparable collaborative master's degree programs designed to address the significant disparities in prevalence of

  14. Long-term effects of ovulation-stimulating drugs on cancer risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinton, Louise

    2007-07-01

    Although nulliparity has been extensively related to the risk of ovarian, breast and endometrial cancers, with many studies showing the relationship largely attributable to infertility, treatment effects on cancer risk are poorly understood. Two early studies raised substantial concern when ovulation-stimulating drugs were linked with large increases in ovarian cancer, supporting the notion of an important aetiological role of incessant ovulation. Subsequent studies have been mainly reassuring, although some have suggested possible risk increases among nulligravid women, those with extensive follow-up, and those developing borderline tumours. Results regarding effects of fertility drugs on breast cancer risk are conflicting, with some showing no associations and others demonstrating possible risk increases, although for varying subgroups. In contrast, endometrial cancer results are more consistent, with two recent studies showing increased risks related to clomiphene usage. This is of interest given that clomiphene is structurally similar to tamoxifen, a drug extensively linked with this cancer. Given the recent marketing of fertility drugs and the fact that exposed women are only beginning to reach the cancer age range, further follow-up is necessary. This will also be important to fully resolve effects of exposures such as gonadotrophins, used more recently in conjunction with IVF.

  15. The art and practice of systems biology in medicine: Mapping patterns of relationships

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Greef, J. van der; Martin, S.; Juhasz, P.; Adourian, A.; Plasterer, T.; Verheij, E.R.; McBurney, R.N.

    2007-01-01

    Systems biology has developed in recent years from a technology-driven enterprise to a new strategic tool in Life Sciences, particularly for innovative drug discovery and drug development. Combining the ultimate in systems phenotyping with in-depth investigations of biomolecular mechanisms will

  16. Molecular pathology and prostate cancer therapeutics: from biology to bedside.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodrigues, Daniel Nava; Butler, Lisa M; Estelles, David Lorente; de Bono, Johann S

    2014-01-01

    Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed malignancy in men and has an extremely heterogeneous clinical behaviour. The vast majority of PCas are hormonally driven diseases in which androgen signalling plays a central role. The realization that castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) continues to rely on androgen signalling prompted the development of new, effective androgen blocking agents. As the understanding of the molecular biology of PCas evolves, it is hoped that stratification of prostate tumours into distinct molecular entities, each with its own set of vulnerabilities, will be a feasible goal. Around half of PCas harbour rearrangements involving a member of the ETS transcription factor family. Tumours without this rearrangement include SPOP mutant as well as SPINK1-over-expressing subtypes. As the number of targeted therapy agents increases, it is crucial to determine which patients will benefit from these interventions and molecular pathology will be key in this respect. In addition to directly targeting cells, therapies that modify the tumour microenvironment have also been successful in prolonging the lives of PCa patients. Understanding the molecular aspects of PCa therapeutics will allow pathologists to provide core recommendations for patient management. Copyright © 2013 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  17. Toxicological Analysis of Some Drugs of Abuse in Biological Samples

    OpenAIRE

    Anne Marie Ciobanu; Daniela Baconi; Cristian Bălălău; Carolina Negrei; Miriana Stan; Maria Bârcă

    2015-01-01

    Consumption of drugs of abuse is a scourge of modern world. Abuse, drug addiction and their consequences are one of the major current problems of European society because of the significant repercussions in individual, family, social and economic level. In this context, toxicological analysis of the drugs of abuse in biological samples is a useful tool for: diagnosis of drug addiction, checking an auto-response, mandatory screening in some treatment programs, identification of a substance ...

  18. Nanomaterial-based drug delivery carriers for cancer therapy

    CERN Document Server

    Feng, Tao

    2017-01-01

    This brief summarizes different types of organic and inorganic nanomaterials for drug delivery in cancer therapy. It highlights that precisely designed nanomaterials will be the next-generation therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.

  19. Understanding drugs in breast cancer through drug sensitivity screening

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K. Uhr (Katharina); W.J.C. Prager-van der Smissen (Wendy); A.A.J. Heine (Anouk); B. Ozturk (Bahar); M. Smid (Marcel); H.W.H. Göhlmann (Hinrich W. H.); A. Jager (Agnes); J.A. Foekens (John); J.W.M. Martens (John)

    2015-01-01

    textabstractWith substantial numbers of breast tumors showing or acquiring treatment resistance, it is of utmost importance to develop new agents for the treatment of the disease, to know their effectiveness against breast cancer and to understand their relationships with other drugs to best assign

  20. Natural biology and management of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scarpato, Kristen R; Tyson, Mark D; Clark, Peter E

    2016-01-01

    PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the natural biology of noninvasive bladder cancer and its management strategies while summarizing the most recent advances in the field. RECENT FINDINGS: Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has a tendency to recur and progress. Risk stratification has...... in low-risk patients. SUMMARY: NMIBC represents a variety of disease states and continues to pose management challenges. As our understanding of tumor biology improves and technology advances, achieving better outcomes through individualized care may be possible.......PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This article reviews the natural biology of noninvasive bladder cancer and its management strategies while summarizing the most recent advances in the field. RECENT FINDINGS: Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has a tendency to recur and progress. Risk stratification has...... helped triage patients but improved tools, including biomarkers, are still needed. Enhanced endoscopy with photodynamic imaging, narrow band imaging, optical coherence tomography and confocal laser endomicroscopy show promise for diagnosis, risk stratification and disease monitoring. Attempts at better...

  1. A review of drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology and green chemistry: green nanomedicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jahangirian H

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Hossein Jahangirian,1 Ensieh Ghasemian Lemraski,2 Thomas J Webster,1 Roshanak Rafiee-Moghaddam,3 Yadollah Abdollahi4 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ilam University, Ilam, Iran; 3School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, 4Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Abstract: This review discusses the impact of green and environmentally safe chemistry on the field of nanotechnology-driven drug delivery in a new field termed “green nanomedicine”. Studies have shown that among many examples of green nanotechnology-driven drug delivery systems, those receiving the greatest amount of attention include nanometal particles, polymers, and biological materials. Furthermore, green nanodrug delivery systems based on environmentally safe chemical reactions or using natural biomaterials (such as plant extracts and microorganisms are now producing innovative materials revolutionizing the field. In this review, the use of green chemistry design, synthesis, and application principles and eco-friendly synthesis techniques with low side effects are discussed. The review ends with a description of key future efforts that must ensue for this field to continue to grow. Keywords: green chemistry, cancer, drug delivery, nanoparticle

  2. Right Versus Left Colon Cancer Biology: Integrating the Consensus Molecular Subtypes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Michael S; Menter, David G; Kopetz, Scott

    2017-03-01

    Although clinical management of colon cancer generally has not accounted for the primary tumor site, left-sided and right-sided colon cancers harbor different clinical and biologic characteristics. Right-sided colon cancers are more likely to have genome-wide hypermethylation via the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), hypermutated state via microsatellite instability, and BRAF mutation. There are also differential exposures to potential carcinogenic toxins and microbiota in the right and left colon. Gene expression analyses further shed light on distinct biologic subtypes of colorectal cancers (CRCs), with 4 consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) identified. Importantly, these subtypes are differentially distributed between right- and left-sided CRCs, with greater proportions of the "microsatellite unstable/immune" CMS1 and the "metabolic" CMS3 subtypes found in right-sided colon cancers. This review summarizes important biologic distinctions between right- and left-sided CRCs that likely impact prognosis and may predict for differential responses to biologic therapy. Given the inferior prognosis of stage III-IV right-sided CRCs and emerging data suggesting that anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody therapy is associated with worse survival in right-sided stage IV CRCs compared with left-sided cancers, these biologic differences between right- and left-sided CRCs provide critical context and may provide opportunities to personalize therapy. Copyright © 2017 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

  3. 5-Fluorouracil response in a large panel of colorectal cancer cell lines is associated with mismatch repair deficiency

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bracht, K; Nicholls, A M; Liu, Ying

    2010-01-01

    Colorectal cancer is (CRC) one of the commonest cancers and its therapy is still based on few drugs. Currently, no biological criteria are used to choose the most effective of the established drugs for treatment.......Colorectal cancer is (CRC) one of the commonest cancers and its therapy is still based on few drugs. Currently, no biological criteria are used to choose the most effective of the established drugs for treatment....

  4. Cancer stem cells: a systems biology view of their role in prognosis and therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertins, Susan D

    2014-04-01

    Evidence has accumulated that characterizes highly tumorigenic cancer cells residing in heterogeneous populations. The accepted term for such a subpopulation is cancer stem cells (CSCs). While many questions still remain about their precise role in the origin, progression, and drug resistance of tumors, it is clear they exist. In this review, a current understanding of the nature of CSC, their potential usefulness in prognosis, and the need to target them will be discussed. In particular, separate studies now suggest that the CSC is plastic in its phenotype, toggling between tumorigenic and nontumorigenic states depending on both intrinsic and extrinsic conditions. Because of this, a static view of gene and protein levels defined by correlations may not be sufficient to either predict disease progression or aid in the discovery and development of drugs to molecular targets leading to cures. Quantitative dynamic modeling, a bottom up systems biology approach whereby signal transduction pathways are described by differential equations, may offer a novel means to overcome the challenges of oncology today. In conclusion, the complexity of CSCs can be captured in mathematical models that may be useful for selecting molecular targets, defining drug action, and predicting sensitivity or resistance pathways for improved patient outcomes.

  5. Inhalation of nanoparticle-based drug for lung cancer treatment: Advantages and challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wing-Hin Lee

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Ever since the success of developing inhalable insulin, drug delivery via pulmonary administration has become an attractive route to treat chronic diseases. Pulmonary delivery system for nanotechnology is a relatively new concept especially when applicable to lung cancer therapy. Nano-based systems such as liposome, polymeric nanoparticles or micelles are strategically designed to enhance the therapeutic index of anti-cancer drugs through improvement of their bioavailability, stability and residency at targeted lung regions. Along with these benefits, nano-based systems also provide additional diagnostic advantages during lung cancer treatment, including imaging, screening and drug tracking. Nevertheless, delivery of nano-based drugs via pulmonary administration for lung cancer therapy is still in its infancy and numerous challenges are expected. Pharmacology, immunology, toxicology and large-scale manufacturing (stability and activity of drugs are some aspects in nanotechnology that should be taken into consideration for the development of inhalable nano-based chemotherapeutic drugs. This review will focus on the current inhalable nano-based drugs for lung cancer treatment.

  6. A data-driven predictive approach for drug delivery using machine learning techniques.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanyuan Li

    Full Text Available In drug delivery, there is often a trade-off between effective killing of the pathogen, and harmful side effects associated with the treatment. Due to the difficulty in testing every dosing scenario experimentally, a computational approach will be helpful to assist with the prediction of effective drug delivery methods. In this paper, we have developed a data-driven predictive system, using machine learning techniques, to determine, in silico, the effectiveness of drug dosing. The system framework is scalable, autonomous, robust, and has the ability to predict the effectiveness of the current drug treatment and the subsequent drug-pathogen dynamics. The system consists of a dynamic model incorporating both the drug concentration and pathogen population into distinct states. These states are then analyzed using a temporal model to describe the drug-cell interactions over time. The dynamic drug-cell interactions are learned in an adaptive fashion and used to make sequential predictions on the effectiveness of the dosing strategy. Incorporated into the system is the ability to adjust the sensitivity and specificity of the learned models based on a threshold level determined by the operator for the specific application. As a proof-of-concept, the system was validated experimentally using the pathogen Giardia lamblia and the drug metronidazole in vitro.

  7. Multifunctional Polymer Nanoparticles for Dual Drug Release and Cancer Cell Targeting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Han Wen

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Multifunctional polymer nanoparticles have been developed for cancer treatment because they could be easily designed to target cancer cells and to enhance therapeutic efficacy according to cancer hallmarks. In this study, we synthesized a pH-sensitive polymer, poly(methacrylic acid-co-histidine/doxorubicin/biotin (HBD in which doxorubicin (DOX was conjugated by a hydrazone bond to encapsulate an immunotherapy drug, imiquimod (IMQ, to form dual cancer-targeting and dual drug-loaded nanoparticles. At low pH, polymeric nanoparticles could disrupt and simultaneously release DOX and IMQ. Our experimental results show that the nanoparticles exhibited pH-dependent drug release behavior and had an ability to target cancer cells via biotin and protonated histidine.

  8. Near-infrared remotely triggered drug-release strategies for cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, Amanda M.; Neumann, Oara; Nørregaard, Kamilla; Henderson, Luke; Choi, Mi-Ran; Clare, Susan E.; Halas, Naomi J.

    2017-11-01

    Remotely controlled, localized drug delivery is highly desirable for potentially minimizing the systemic toxicity induced by the administration of typically hydrophobic chemotherapy drugs by conventional means. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems provide a highly promising approach for localized drug delivery, and are an emerging field of interest in cancer treatment. Here, we demonstrate near-IR light-triggered release of two drug molecules from both DNA-based and protein-based hosts that have been conjugated to near-infrared-absorbing Au nanoshells (SiO2 core, Au shell), each forming a light-responsive drug delivery complex. We show that, depending upon the drug molecule, the type of host molecule, and the laser illumination method (continuous wave or pulsed laser), in vitro light-triggered release can be achieved with both types of nanoparticle-based complexes. Two breast cancer drugs, docetaxel and HER2-targeted lapatinib, were delivered to MDA-MB-231 and SKBR3 (overexpressing HER2) breast cancer cells and compared with release in noncancerous RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Continuous wave laser-induced release of docetaxel from a nanoshell-based DNA host complex showed increased cell death, which also coincided with nonspecific cell death from photothermal heating. Using a femtosecond pulsed laser, lapatinib release from a nanoshell-based human serum albumin protein host complex resulted in increased cancerous cell death while noncancerous control cells were unaffected. Both methods provide spatially and temporally localized drug-release strategies that can facilitate high local concentrations of chemotherapy drugs deliverable at a specific treatment site over a specific time window, with the potential for greatly minimized side effects.

  9. Patient-driven hand hygiene audit process at a regional cancer center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bow, E J; Bourrier, V; Trudel, J; Kostiuk, N; McLeod, J M

    2018-01-01

    A patient-driven hand hygiene compliance audit strategy was piloted in a Canadian provincial cancer agency during routine provision of cancer outpatient care by health care providers (physicians, nurses, and health care aides) under conditions where the deployment of an independent external auditor was not feasible. The results of the audit suggest the feasibility of this approach as a routine institutional performance metric. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Combination Drug Delivery Approaches in Metastatic Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun H. Lee

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Disseminated metastatic breast cancer needs aggressive treatment due to its reduced response to anticancer treatment and hence low survival and quality of life. Although in theory a combination drug therapy has advantages over single-agent therapy, no appreciable survival enhancement is generally reported whereas increased toxicity is frequently seen in combination treatment especially in chemotherapy. Currently used combination treatments in metastatic breast cancer will be discussed with their challenges leading to the introduction of novel combination anticancer drug delivery systems that aim to overcome these challenges. Widely studied drug delivery systems such as liposomes, dendrimers, polymeric nanoparticles, and water-soluble polymers can concurrently carry multiple anticancer drugs in one platform. These carriers can provide improved target specificity achieved by passive and/or active targeting mechanisms.

  11. Molecularly targeted drugs for metastatic colorectal cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng YD

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Ying-dong Cheng, Hua Yang, Guo-qing Chen, Zhi-cao Zhang Department of General Surgery, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China Abstract: The survival rate of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC has significantly improved with applications of molecularly targeted drugs, such as bevacizumab, and led to a substantial improvement in the overall survival rate. These drugs are capable of specifically targeting the inherent abnormal pathways in cancer cells, which are potentially less toxic than traditional nonselective chemotherapeutics. In this review, the recent clinical information about molecularly targeted therapy for mCRC is summarized, with specific focus on several of the US Food and Drug Administration-approved molecularly targeted drugs for the treatment of mCRC in the clinic. Progression-free and overall survival in patients with mCRC was improved greatly by the addition of bevacizumab and/or cetuximab to standard chemotherapy, in either first- or second-line treatment. Aflibercept has been used in combination with folinic acid (leucovorin–fluorouracil–irinotecan (FOLFIRI chemotherapy in mCRC patients and among patients with mCRC with wild-type KRAS, the outcomes were significantly improved by panitumumab in combination with folinic acid (leucovorin–fluorouracil–oxaliplatin (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI. Because of the new preliminary studies, it has been recommended that regorafenib be used with FOLFOX or FOLFIRI as first- or second-line treatment of mCRC chemotherapy. In summary, an era of new opportunities has been opened for treatment of mCRC and/or other malignancies, resulting from the discovery of new selective targeting drugs. Keywords: metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC, antiangiogenic drug, bevacizumab, aflibercept, regorafenib, cetuximab, panitumumab, clinical trial, molecularly targeted therapy

  12. Identifying clinically relevant drug resistance genes in drug-induced resistant cancer cell lines and post-chemotherapy tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Mengsha; Zheng, Weicheng; Lu, Xingrong; Ao, Lu; Li, Xiangyu; Guan, Qingzhou; Cai, Hao; Li, Mengyao; Yan, Haidan; Guo, You; Chi, Pan; Guo, Zheng

    2015-12-01

    Until recently, few molecular signatures of drug resistance identified in drug-induced resistant cancer cell models can be translated into clinical practice. Here, we defined differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between pre-chemotherapy colorectal cancer (CRC) tissue samples of non-responders and responders for 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based therapy as clinically relevant drug resistance genes (CRG5-FU/L-OHP). Taking CRG5-FU/L-OHP as reference, we evaluated the clinical relevance of several types of genes derived from HCT116 CRC cells with resistance to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin, respectively. The results revealed that DEGs between parental and resistant cells, when both were treated with the corresponding drug for a certain time, were significantly consistent with the CRG5-FU/L-OHP as well as the DEGs between the post-chemotherapy CRC specimens of responders and non-responders. This study suggests a novel strategy to extract clinically relevant drug resistance genes from both drug-induced resistant cell models and post-chemotherapy cancer tissue specimens.

  13. Fascaplysin Sensitizes Anti-Cancer Effects of Drugs Targeting AKT and AMPK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taek-In Oh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Fascaplysin, a natural product isolated from marine sponges, is a potential candidate for the development of anti-cancer drugs. However, the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effect of strengthening anti-cancer efficacy of other drugs is poorly understood. Here, we found that fascaplysin increases phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB, also known as AKT, and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK, which are considered therapeutic targets for cancer treatment due to their anti-apoptotic or pro-survival functions in cancer. A cell viability assay revealed that pharmacological suppression of AKT using LY294002 enhanced the anti-cancer effect of fascaplysin in various cancer cells. Similarly, fascaplysin was observed to have improved anti-cancer effects in combination with compound C, a selective AMPK inhibitor. Another challenge showed that fascaplysin increased the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX-mediated cancer therapy by suppressing genes related to folate and purine metabolism. Overall, these results suggest that fascaplysin may be useful for improving the anti-cancer efficacy of targeted anti-cancer drugs, such as inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase AKT signaling, and chemotherapeutic agents, such as MTX.

  14. Evaluating the administration costs of biologic drugs: development of a cost algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tetteh, Ebenezer K; Morris, Stephen

    2014-12-01

    Biologic drugs, as with all other medical technologies, are subject to a number of regulatory, marketing, reimbursement (financing) and other demand-restricting hurdles applied by healthcare payers. One example is the routine use of cost-effectiveness analyses or health technology assessments to determine which medical technologies offer value-for-money. The manner in which these assessments are conducted suggests that, holding all else equal, the economic value of biologic drugs may be determined by how much is spent on administering these drugs or trade-offs between drug acquisition and administration costs. Yet, on the supply-side, it seems very little attention is given to how manufacturing and formulation choices affect healthcare delivery costs. This paper evaluates variations in the administration costs of biologic drugs, taking care to ensure consistent inclusion of all relevant cost resources. From this, it develops a regression-based algorithm with which manufacturers could possibly predict, during process development, how their manufacturing and formulation choices may impact on the healthcare delivery costs of their products.

  15. Antilipolytic drug boosts glucose metabolism in prostate cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Kim Francis; Divilov, Vadim; Koziorowski, Jacek

    2013-01-01

    The antilipolytic drug Acipimox reduces free fatty acid (FFA) levels in the blood stream. We examined the effect of reduced FFAs on glucose metabolism in androgen-dependent (CWR22Rv1) and androgen-independent (PC3) prostate cancer (PCa) xenografts.......The antilipolytic drug Acipimox reduces free fatty acid (FFA) levels in the blood stream. We examined the effect of reduced FFAs on glucose metabolism in androgen-dependent (CWR22Rv1) and androgen-independent (PC3) prostate cancer (PCa) xenografts....

  16. Profit-driven drug testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collen, Mark

    2012-01-01

    Random drug testing of people being treated for chronic pain has become more common. Physicians may drug test patients on opioid therapy as a result of concerns over prosecution, drug misuse, addiction, and overdose. However, profit motive has remained unexplored. This article suggests profits also drive physician drug-testing behavior and evidence is offered, including an exploration of Medicare reimbursement incentives and kickbacks for drug testing.

  17. The mass-action law based algorithm for cost-effective approach for cancer drug discovery and development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Ting-Chao

    2011-01-01

    The mass-action law based system analysis via mathematical induction and deduction lead to the generalized theory and algorithm that allows computerized simulation of dose-effect dynamics with small size experiments using a small number of data points in vitro, in animals, and in humans. The median-effect equation of the mass-action law deduced from over 300 mechanism specific-equations has been shown to be the unified theory that serves as the common-link for complicated biomedical systems. After using the median-effect principle as the common denominator, its applications are mechanism-independent, drug unit-independent, and dynamic order-independent; and can be used generally for single drug analysis or for multiple drug combinations in constant-ratio or non-constant ratios. Since the "median" is the common link and universal reference point in biological systems, these general enabling lead to computerized quantitative bio-informatics for econo-green bio-research in broad disciplines. Specific applications of the theory, especially relevant to drug discovery, drug combination, and clinical trials, have been cited or illustrated in terms of algorithms, experimental design and computerized simulation for data analysis. Lessons learned from cancer research during the past fifty years provide a valuable opportunity to reflect, and to improve the conventional divergent approach and to introduce a new convergent avenue, based on the mass-action law principle, for the efficient cancer drug discovery and the low-cost drug development.

  18. Drug delivery system and breast cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colone, Marisa; Kaliappan, Subramanian; Calcabrini, Annarica; Tortora, Mariarosaria; Cavalieri, Francesca; Stringaro, Annarita

    2016-06-01

    Recently, nanomedicine has received increasing attention for its ability to improve the efficacy of cancer therapeutics. Nanosized polymer therapeutic agents offer the advantage of prolonged circulation in the blood stream, targeting to specific sites, improved efficacy and reduced side effects. In this way, local, controlled delivery of the drug will be achieved with the advantage of a high concentration of drug release at the target site while keeping the systemic concentration of the drug low, thus reducing side effects due to bioaccumulation. Various drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles, liposomes, microparticles and implants have been demonstrated to significantly enhance the preventive/therapeutic efficacy of many drugs by increasing their bioavailability and targetability. As these carriers significantly increase the therapeutic effect of drugs, their administration would become less cost effective in the near future. The purpose of our research work is to develop a delivery system for breast cancer cells using a microvector of drugs. These results highlight the potential uses of these responsive platforms suited for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. At the request of all authors of the paper an updated version was published on 12 July 2016. The manuscript was prepared and submitted without Dr. Francesca Cavalieri's contribution and her name was added without her consent. Her name has been removed in the updated and re-published article.

  19. Dual drug loaded chitosan nanoparticles-sugar--coated arsenal against pancreatic cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Karolyn Infanta; Jaidev, Leela Raghav; Sethuraman, Swaminathan; Krishnan, Uma Maheswari

    2015-11-01

    Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive form of cancer with poor survival rates. The increased mortality due to pancreatic cancer arises due to many factors such as development of multidrug resistance, presence of cancer stem cells, development of a stromal barrier and a hypoxic environment due to hypo-perfusion. The present study aims to develop a nanocarrier for a combination of drugs that can address these multiple issues. Quercetin and 5-fluorouracil were loaded in chitosan nanoparticles, individually as well as in combination. The nanoparticles were characterized for morphology, size, zeta potential, percentage encapsulation of drugs as well as their release profiles in different media. The dual drug-loaded carrier exhibited good entrapment efficiency (quercetin 95% and 5-fluorouracil 75%) with chitosan: quercetin: 5-fluorouracil in the ratio 3:1:2. The release profiles suggest that 5-fluorouracil preferentially localized in the periphery while quercetin was located towards the core of chitosan nanoparticles. Both drugs exhibited considerable association with the chitosan matrix. The dual drug-loaded carrier system exhibited significant toxicity towards pancreatic cancer cells both in the 2D as well as in the 3D cultures. We believe that the results from these studies can open up interesting options in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Drug loaded magnetic nanoparticles for cancer therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurgons, R; Seliger, C; Hilpert, A; Trahms, L; Odenbach, S; Alexiou, C

    2006-01-01

    Magnetic nanoparticles have been investigated for biomedical applications for more than 30 years. In medicine they are used for several approaches such as magnetic cell separation or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The development of biocompatible nanosized drug delivery systems for specific targeting of therapeutics is the focus of medical research, especially for the treatment of cancer and diseases of the vascular system. In an experimental cancer model, we performed targeted drug delivery and used magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, bound to a chemotherapeutic agent, which were attracted to an experimental tumour in rabbits by an external magnetic field (magnetic drug targeting). Complete tumour remission could be achieved. An important advantage of these carriers is the possibility for detecting these nanoparticles after treatment with common imaging techniques (i.e. x-ray-tomography, magnetorelaxometry, magnetic resonance imaging), which can be correlated to histology

  1. Elucidating antimalarial drug targets/mode-of-action by application of system biology technologies

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Becker, J

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available targets/mode-of-action by application of systems biology technologies J BECKER, L MTWISHA, B CRAMPTON AND D MANCAMA CSIR Biosciences, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa Email: JBecker@csir.co.za – www.csir.co.za INTRODUCTION Malaria is one... The objective of this study was to use systems biology tools to unravel the drug target/mode-of-action (MoA) of an antimalarial drug (cyclohexylamine) with a known drug target/MoA, by analysing differential expression profiles of drug treated vs untreated...

  2. How Can We Treat Cancer Disease Not Cancer Cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyu-Won; Lee, Su-Jae; Kim, Woo-Young; Seo, Ji Hae; Lee, Ho-Young

    2017-01-01

    Since molecular biology studies began, researches in biological science have centered on proteins and genes at molecular level of a single cell. Cancer research has also focused on various functions of proteins and genes that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Accordingly, most contemporary anticancer drugs have been developed to target abnormal characteristics of cancer cells. Despite the great advances in the development of anticancer drugs, vast majority of patients with advanced cancer have shown grim prognosis and high rate of relapse. To resolve this problem, we must reevaluate our focuses in current cancer research. Cancer should be considered as a systemic disease because cancer cells undergo a complex interaction with various surrounding cells in cancer tissue and spread to whole body through metastasis under the control of the systemic modulation. Human body relies on the cooperative interaction between various tissues and organs, and each organ performs its specialized function through tissue-specific cell networks. Therefore, investigation of the tumor-specific cell networks can provide novel strategy to overcome the limitation of current cancer research. This review presents the limitations of the current cancer research, emphasizing the necessity of studying tissue-specific cell network which could be a new perspective on treating cancer disease, not cancer cells.

  3. Synthetic Biology and Personalized Medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, K.K.

    2013-01-01

    Synthetic biology, application of synthetic chemistry to biology, is a broad term that covers the engineering of biological systems with structures and functions not found in nature to process information, manipulate chemicals, produce energy, maintain cell environment and enhance human health. Synthetic biology devices contribute not only to improve our understanding of disease mechanisms, but also provide novel diagnostic tools. Methods based on synthetic biology enable the design of novel strategies for the treatment of cancer, immune diseases metabolic disorders and infectious diseases as well as the production of cheap drugs. The potential of synthetic genome, using an expanded genetic code that is designed for specific drug synthesis as well as delivery and activation of the drug in vivo by a pathological signal, was already pointed out during a lecture delivered at Kuwait University in 2005. Of two approaches to synthetic biology, top-down and bottom-up, the latter is more relevant to the development of personalized medicines as it provides more flexibility in constructing a partially synthetic cell from basic building blocks for a desired task. PMID:22907209

  4. The Price Elasticity of Specialty Drug Use: Evidence from Cancer Patients in Medicare Part D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jeah Kyoungrae; Feldman, Roger; McBean, A Marshall

    2017-12-01

    Specialty drugs can bring substantial benefits to patients with debilitating conditions, such as cancer, but their costs are very high. Insurers/payers have increased patient cost-sharing for specialty drugs to manage specialty drug spending. We utilized Medicare Part D plan formulary data to create the initial price (cost-sharing in the initial coverage phase in Part D), and estimated the total demand (both on- and off-label uses) for specialty cancer drugs among elderly Medicare Part D enrollees with no low-income subsidies (non-LIS) as a function of the initial price. We corrected for potential endogeneity associated with plan choice by instrumenting the initial price of specialty cancer drugs with the initial prices of specialty drugs in unrelated classes. We report three findings. First, we found that elderly non-LIS beneficiaries with cancer were less likely to use a Part D specialty cancer drug when the initial price was high: the overall price elasticity of specialty cancer drug spending ranged between -0.72 and -0.75. Second, the price effect in Part D specialty cancer drug use was not significant among newly diagnosed patients. Finally, we found that use of Part B-covered cancer drugs was not responsive to the Part D specialty cancer drug price. As the demand for costly specialty drugs grows, it will be important to identify clinical circumstances where specialty drugs can be valuable and ensure access to high-value treatments.

  5. Cytotoxicity Enhancement in Breast Cancer Cells with Carbonate Apatite-Facilitated Intracellular Delivery of Anti-Cancer Drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatemian, Tahereh; Chowdhury, Ezharul Hoque

    2018-01-01

    Pharmacotherapy as the mainstay in the management of breast cancer has demonstrated various drawbacks, including non-targeted bio distribution and narrow therapeutic and safety windows. Thus, enhancements in pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of the classical anti-cancer drugs could lead to improved efficacy against cancer cells. Therefore, inorganic pH-dependent carbonate apatite (CA) nanoparticles were utilized to efficiently deliver various drugs into cancer cells. Following characterization and various modifications in the structure of CA complexes with different drugs, lifted outcomes were achieved. Markedly, complexing paclitaxel with CA resulted in 20.71 ± 4.34% loading efficiency together with 24.14 ± 2.21% enhancement in cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells plus superior in vivo anti-tumour efficacy compared to free paclitaxel. PMID:29401738

  6. Cytotoxicity Enhancement in Breast Cancer Cells with Carbonate Apatite-Facilitated Intracellular Delivery of Anti-Cancer Drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tahereh Fatemian

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Pharmacotherapy as the mainstay in the management of breast cancer has demonstrated various drawbacks, including non-targeted bio distribution and narrow therapeutic and safety windows. Thus, enhancements in pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles of the classical anti-cancer drugs could lead to improved efficacy against cancer cells. Therefore, inorganic pH-dependent carbonate apatite (CA nanoparticles were utilized to efficiently deliver various drugs into cancer cells. Following characterization and various modifications in the structure of CA complexes with different drugs, lifted outcomes were achieved. Markedly, complexing paclitaxel with CA resulted in 20.71 ± 4.34% loading efficiency together with 24.14 ± 2.21% enhancement in cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells plus superior in vivo anti-tumour efficacy compared to free paclitaxel.

  7. The Therapeutic Potential of CRISPR/Cas9 Systems in Oncogene-Addicted Cancer Types: Virally Driven Cancers as a Model System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luqman Jubair

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The field of gene editing is undergoing unprecedented growth. The first ex vivo human clinical trial in China started in 2016, more than 1000 US patents have been filed, and there is exponential growth in publications. The ability to edit genes with high fidelity is promising for the development of new treatments for a range of diseases, particularly inherited conditions, infectious diseases, and cancers. For cancer, a major issue is the identification of driver mutations and oncogenes to target for therapeutic effect, and this requires the development of robust models with which to prove their efficacy. The challenge is that there is rarely a single critical gene. However, virally driven cancers, in which cells are addicted to the expression of a single viral oncogene in some cases, may serve as model systems for CRISPR/Cas therapies, as they did for RNAi. These models and systems offer an excellent opportunity to test both preclinical models and clinical conditions to examine the effectiveness of gene editing, and here we review the options and offer a way forward. Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9, virally-driven cancers, cervical cancer, oncogene-addiction

  8. Advanced glycation end-products: a biological consequence of lifestyle contributing to cancer disparity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, David P

    2015-05-15

    Low income, poor diet, obesity, and a lack of exercise are interrelated lifestyle factors that can profoundly alter our biologic make up to increase cancer risk, growth, and development. We recently reported a potential mechanistic link between carbohydrate-derived metabolites and cancer, which may provide a biologic consequence of lifestyle that can directly affect tumor biology. Advanced glycation end-products (AGE) are reactive metabolites produced as a by-product of sugar metabolism. Failure to remove these highly reactive metabolites can lead to protein damage, aberrant cell signaling, increased stress responses, and decreased genetic fidelity. Critically, AGE accumulation is also directly affected by our lifestyle choices and shows a race-specific, tumor-dependent pattern of accumulation in cancer patients. This review will discuss the contribution of AGEs to the cancer phenotype, with a particular emphasis on their biologic links with the socioeconomic and environmental risk factors that drive cancer disparity. Given the potential benefits of lifestyle changes and the potential biologic role of AGEs in promoting cancer, opportunities exist for collaborations affecting basic, translational, epidemiologic, and cancer prevention initiatives. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  9. Alpinetin inhibits lung cancer progression and elevates sensitization drug-resistant lung cancer cells to cis-diammined dichloridoplatium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu L

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Lin Wu, Wei Yang, Su-ning Zhang, Ji-bin Lu Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sheng Jing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People’s Republic of China Objective: Alpinetin is a novel flavonoid that has demonstrated potent antitumor activity in previous studies. However, the efficacy and mechanism of alpinetin in treating lung cancer have not been determined. Methods: We evaluated the impact of different doses and durations of alpinetin treatment on the cell proliferation, the apoptosis of lung cancer cells, as well as the drug-resistant lung cancer cells. Results: This study showed that the alpinetin inhibited the cell proliferation, enhanced the apoptosis, and inhibited the PI3K/Akt signaling in lung cancer cells. Moreover, alpinetin significantly increased the sensitivity of drug-resistant lung cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic effect of cis-diammined dichloridoplatium. Taken together, this study demonstrated that alpinetin significantly suppressed the development of human lung cancer possibly by influencing mitochondria and the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and sensitized drug-resistant lung cancer cells. Conclusion: Alpinetin may be used as a potential compound for combinatorial therapy or as a complement to other chemotherapeutic agents when multiple lines of treatments have failed to reduce lung cancer. Keywords: alpinetin, cell proliferation and apoptosis, drug resistance reversal, PI3K/Akt, lung cancer

  10. Tubulin Inhibitor-Based Antibody-Drug Conjugates for Cancer Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hao Chen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs are a class of highly potent biopharmaceutical drugs generated by conjugating cytotoxic drugs with specific monoclonal antibodies through appropriate linkers. Specific antibodies used to guide potent warheads to tumor tissues can effectively reduce undesired side effects of the cytotoxic drugs. An in-depth understanding of antibodies, linkers, conjugation strategies, cytotoxic drugs, and their molecular targets has led to the successful development of several approved ADCs. These ADCs are powerful therapeutics for cancer treatment, enabling wider therapeutic windows, improved pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic properties, and enhanced efficacy. Since tubulin inhibitors are one of the most successful cytotoxic drugs in the ADC armamentarium, this review focuses on the progress in tubulin inhibitor-based ADCs, as well as lessons learned from the unsuccessful ADCs containing tubulin inhibitors. This review should be helpful to facilitate future development of new generations of tubulin inhibitor-based ADCs for cancer therapy.

  11. The use of biologically based cancer risk models in radiation epidemiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krewski, D.; Zielinski, J.M.; Hazelton, W.D.; Garner, M.J.; Moolgavkar, S.H.

    2003-01-01

    Biologically based risk projection models for radiation carcinogenesis seek to describe the fundamental biological processes involved in neoplastic transformation of somatic cells into malignant cancer cells. A validated biologically based model, whose parameters have a direct biological interpretation, can also be used to extrapolate cancer risks to different exposure conditions with some confidence. In this article, biologically based models for radiation carcinogenesis, including the two-stage clonal expansion (TSCE) model and its extensions, are reviewed. The biological and mathematical bases for such models are described, and the implications of key model parameters for cancer risk assessment examined. Specific applications of versions of the TSCE model to important epidemiologic datasets are discussed, including the Colorado uranium miners' cohort; a cohort of Chinese tin miners; the lifespan cohort of atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; and a cohort of over 200,000 workers included in the National Dose Registry (NDR) of Canada. (author)

  12. FDA 101: Regulating Biological Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... based and cellular biologics, at the forefront of biomedical research today, may make it possible to treat a ... transplantation vaccines The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research ... as targeted therapies in cancer and other diseases cytokines (types of ...

  13. Challenges and strategies in anti-cancer nanomedicine development: An industry perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hare, Jennifer I; Lammers, Twan; Ashford, Marianne B; Puri, Sanyogitta; Storm, Gert; Barry, Simon T

    2017-01-01

    Successfully translating anti-cancer nanomedicines from pre-clinical proof of concept to demonstration of therapeutic value in the clinic is challenging. Having made significant advances with drug delivery technologies, we must learn from other areas of oncology drug development, where patient stratification and target-driven design have improved patient outcomes. We should evolve our nanomedicine development strategies to build the patient and disease into the line of sight from the outset. The success of small molecule targeted therapies has been significantly improved by employing a specific decision-making framework, such as AstraZeneca's 5R principle: right target/efficacy, right tissue/exposure, right safety, right patient, and right commercial potential. With appropriate investment and collaboration to generate a platform of evidence supporting the end clinical application, a similar framework can be established for enhancing nanomedicine translation and performance. Building informative data packages to answer these questions requires the following: (I) an improved understanding of the heterogeneity of clinical cancers and of the biological factors influencing the behaviour of nanomedicines in patient tumours; (II) a transition from formulation-driven research to disease-driven development; (III) the implementation of more relevant animal models and testing protocols; and (IV) the pre-selection of the patients most likely to respond to nanomedicine therapies. These challenges must be overcome to improve (the cost-effectiveness of) nanomedicine development and translation, and they are key to establishing superior therapies for patients. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Alteration of gene expression and DNA methylation in drug-resistant gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Osamu; Ando, Takafumi; Ohmiya, Naoki; Ishiguro, Kazuhiro; Watanabe, Osamu; Miyahara, Ryoji; Hibi, Yoko; Nagai, Taku; Yamada, Kiyofumi; Goto, Hidemi

    2014-04-01

    The mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer are not fully elucidated. To study the drug resistance of gastric cancer, we analyzed gene expression and DNA methylation profiles of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)- and cisplatin (CDDP)-resistant gastric cancer cells and biopsy specimens. Drug-resistant gastric cancer cells were established with culture for >10 months in a medium containing 5-FU or CDDP. Endoscopic biopsy specimens were obtained from gastric cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy with oral fluoropyrimidine S-1 and CDDP. Gene expression and DNA methylation analyses were performed using microarray, and validated using real-time PCR and pyrosequencing, respectively. Out of 17,933 genes, 541 genes commonly increased and 569 genes decreased in both 5-FU- and CDDP-resistant AGS cells. Genes with expression changed by drugs were related to GO term 'extracellular region' and 'p53 signaling pathway' in both 5-FU- and CDDP-treated cells. Expression of 15 genes including KLK13 increased and 12 genes including ETV7 decreased, in both drug-resistant cells and biopsy specimens of two patients after chemotherapy. Out of 10,365 genes evaluated with both expression microarray and methylation microarray, 74 genes were hypermethylated and downregulated, or hypomethylated and upregulated in either 5-FU-resistant or CDDP-resistant cells. Of these genes, expression of 21 genes including FSCN1, CPT1C and NOTCH3, increased from treatment with a demethylating agent. There are alterations of gene expression and DNA methylation in drug-resistant gastric cancer; they may be related to mechanisms of drug resistance and may be useful as biomarkers of gastric cancer drug sensitivity.

  15. The antidiabetic drug ciglitazone induces high grade bladder cancer cells apoptosis through the up-regulation of TRAIL.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie-Laure Plissonnier

    Full Text Available Ciglitazone belongs to the thiazolidinediones class of antidiabetic drug family and is a high-affinity ligand for the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ (PPARγ. Apart from its antidiabetic activity, this molecule shows antineoplastic effectiveness in numerous cancer cell lines.Using RT4 (derived from a well differentiated grade I papillary tumor and T24 (derived from an undifferentiated grade III carcinoma bladder cancer cells, we investigated the potential of ciglitazone to induce apoptotic cell death and characterized the molecular mechanisms involved. In RT4 cells, the drug induced G2/M cell cycle arrest characterized by an overexpression of p53, p21(waf1/CIP1 and p27(Kip1 in concomitance with a decrease of cyclin B1. On the contrary, in T24 cells, it triggered apoptosis via extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis occurred at high concentrations through PPARγ activation-independent pathways. We show that in vivo treatment of nude mice by ciglitazone inhibits high grade bladder cancer xenograft development. We identified a novel mechanism by which ciglitazone kills cancer cells. Ciglitazone up-regulated soluble and membrane-bound TRAIL and let TRAIL-resistant T24 cells to respond to TRAIL through caspase activation, death receptor signalling pathway and Bid cleavage. We provided evidence that TRAIL-induced apoptosis is partially driven by ciglitazone-mediated down-regulation of c-FLIP and survivin protein levels through a proteasome-dependent degradation mechanism.Therefore, ciglitazone could be clinically relevant as chemopreventive or therapeutic agent for the treatment of TRAIL-refractory high grade urothelial cancers.

  16. 76 FR 59705 - Guidance for Industry on User Fee Waivers, Reductions, and Refunds for Drug and Biological...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-27

    ...] Guidance for Industry on User Fee Waivers, Reductions, and Refunds for Drug and Biological Products..., Reductions, and Refunds for Drug and Biological Products.'' This guidance provides recommendations to... ``User Fee Waivers, Reductions, and Refunds for Drug and Biological Products.'' This guidance provides...

  17. The biological age linked to oxidative stress modifies breast cancer aggressiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sáez-Freire, María Del Mar; Blanco-Gómez, Adrián; Castillo-Lluva, Sonia; Gómez-Vecino, Aurora; Galvis-Jiménez, Julie Milena; Martín-Seisdedos, Carmen; Isidoro-García, María; Hontecillas-Prieto, Lourdes; García-Cenador, María Begoña; García-Criado, Francisco Javier; Patino-Alonso, María Carmen; Galindo-Villardón, Purificación; Mao, Jian-Hua; Prieto, Carlos; Castellanos-Martín, Andrés; Kaderali, Lars; Pérez-Losada, Jesús

    2018-03-14

    The incidence of breast cancer increases with age until menopause, and breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women. The existence of epidemiological links between breast cancer and aging indicates that both processes share some common mechanisms of development. Oxidative stress is associated with both cancer susceptibility and aging. Here we observed that ERBB2-positive breast cancer, which developed in genetically heterogeneous ERBB2-positive transgenic mice generated by a backcross, is more aggressive in chronologically younger than in older mice (differentiated by the median survival of the cohort that was 79 weeks), similar to what occurs in humans. In this cohort, we estimated the oxidative biological age using a mathematical model that integrated several subphenotypes directly or indirectly related to oxidative stress. The model selected the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and magnesium and total AKT1 and glutathione concentrations in the liver. The grade of aging was calculated as the difference between the predicted biological age and the chronological age. This comparison permitted the identification of biologically younger and older mice compared with their chronological age. Interestingly, biologically older mice developed more aggressive breast cancer than the biologically younger mice. Genomic regions on chromosomes 2 and 15 linked to the grade of oxidative aging were identified. The levels of expression of Zbp1 located on chromosome 2, a gene related to necroptosis and inflammation, positively correlated with the grade of aging and tumour aggressiveness. Moreover, the pattern of gene expression of genes linked to the inflammation and the response to infection pathways was enriched in the livers of biologically old mice. This study shows part of the complex interactions between breast cancer and aging. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Novel Drug Delivery Technique for Breast Cancer Therapy

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Esenaliev, Rinat O

    2004-01-01

    .... We proposed to complete Task 3 and to implement Task 4 in the third year of the project. Task 3 focuses on in vivo studies of efficacy of cancer therapy with the use of ultrasound-enhanced delivery of anti-cancer drug 5-FU...

  19. Investigational drugs for the treatment of cervical cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barra, Fabio; Lorusso, Domenica; Leone Roberti Maggiore, Umberto; Ditto, Antonino; Bogani, Giorgio; Raspagliesi, Francesco; Ferrero, Simone

    2017-04-01

    Cervical cancer (CC) is currently the fourth most common malignant disease of women worldwide. Although the incidence and the mortality rates have been decreasing with screening detection and new treatment strategies, a significant number of metastatic or recurrent disease is still diagnosed. For those patients not amenable to curative treatments, such as surgery and radiation, palliative chemotherapy remains the standard of care. As chemotherapy regimens have limited activity, research is focalized on investigating novel pharmacologic strategies. Areas covered: This paper aims to give a complete and updated overview on investigated therapies for the treatment of CC. The authors review the results of clinical studies and highlight the ongoing trials. Expert opinion: Agents targeting various molecular pathways including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP), epigenetics and other biological mechanisms represent interesting investigational opportunities. Amongst such drugs, bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody, was the first targeted drug recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with metastatic, recurrent, or persistent CC. Another interesting experimental approach is represented by immunotherapy, which is leading to promising results with to the development of therapeutic vaccines and immune checkpoints inhibitors.

  20. Drug sensitivity testing platforms for gastric cancer diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Vianne; Wong, Andrea Li-Ann; Ng, Christopher; Mok, Yingting; Lakshmanan, Manikandan; Yan, Benedict

    2016-02-01

    Gastric cancer diagnostics has traditionally been histomorphological and primarily the domain of surgical pathologists. Although there is an increasing usage of molecular and genomic techniques for clinical diagnostics, there is an emerging field of personalised drug sensitivity testing. In this review, we describe the various personalised drug sensitivity testing platforms and discuss the challenges facing clinical adoption of these assays for gastric cancer. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  1. Inflammatory breast cancer biology: the tumour microenvironment is key.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Bora; Woodward, Wendy A; Wang, Xiaoping; Reuben, James M; Ueno, Naoto T

    2018-04-27

    Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare and aggressive disease that accounts for ~2-4% of all breast cancers. However, despite its low incidence rate, IBC is responsible for 7-10% of breast cancer-related mortality in Western countries. Thus, the discovery of robust biological targets and the development of more effective therapeutics in IBC are crucial. Despite major international efforts to understand IBC biology, genomic studies have not led to the discovery of distinct biological mechanisms in IBC that can be translated into novel therapeutic strategies. In this Review, we discuss these molecular profiling efforts and highlight other important aspects of IBC biology. We present the intrinsic characteristics of IBC, including stemness, metastatic potential and hormone receptor positivity; the extrinsic features of the IBC tumour microenvironment (TME), including various constituent cell types; and lastly, the communication between these intrinsic and extrinsic components. We summarize the latest perspectives on the key biological features of IBC, with particular emphasis on the TME as an important contributor to the aggressive nature of IBC. On the basis of the current understanding of IBC, we hope to develop the next generation of translational studies, which will lead to much-needed survival improvements in patients with this deadly disease.

  2. DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems in cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Dandan; Wang, Lei; Li, Wei; Xu, Xiaowen; Jiang, Wei

    2017-11-25

    DNA as a novel biomaterial can be used to fabricate different kinds of DNA nanostructures based on its principle of GC/AT complementary base pairing. Studies have shown that DNA nanostructure is a nice drug carrier to overcome big obstacles existing in cancer therapy such as systemic toxicity and unsatisfied drug efficacy. Thus, different types of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems have been designed in cancer therapy. To improve treating efficacy, they are also developed into more functional drug delivery nanosystems. In recent years, some important progresses have been made. The objective of this review is to make a retrospect and summary about these different kinds of DNA nanostructure-based drug delivery nanosystems and their latest progresses: (1) active targeting; (2) mutidrug co-delivery; (3) construction of stimuli-responsive/intelligent nanosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Traditional Medicine Collection Tracking System (TM-CTS): a database for ethnobotanically driven drug-discovery programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Eric S J; Erickson, Sean D; Tolopko, Andrew N; Cao, Shugeng; Craycroft, Jane A; Scholten, Robert; Fu, Yanling; Wang, Wenquan; Liu, Yong; Zhao, Zhongzhen; Clardy, Jon; Shamu, Caroline E; Eisenberg, David M

    2011-05-17

    Ethnobotanically driven drug-discovery programs include data related to many aspects of the preparation of botanical medicines, from initial plant collection to chemical extraction and fractionation. The Traditional Medicine Collection Tracking System (TM-CTS) was created to organize and store data of this type for an international collaborative project involving the systematic evaluation of commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicinal plants. The system was developed using domain-driven design techniques, and is implemented using Java, Hibernate, PostgreSQL, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), and Apache Tomcat. The TM-CTS relational database schema contains over 70 data types, comprising over 500 data fields. The system incorporates a number of unique features that are useful in the context of ethnobotanical projects such as support for information about botanical collection, method of processing, quality tests for plants with existing pharmacopoeia standards, chemical extraction and fractionation, and historical uses of the plants. The database also accommodates data provided in multiple languages and integration with a database system built to support high throughput screening based drug discovery efforts. It is accessed via a web-based application that provides extensive, multi-format reporting capabilities. This new database system was designed to support a project evaluating the bioactivity of Chinese medicinal plants. The software used to create the database is open source, freely available, and could potentially be applied to other ethnobotanically driven natural product collection and drug-discovery programs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Traditional Medicine Collection Tracking System (TM-CTS): A Database for Ethnobotanically-Driven Drug-Discovery Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Eric S. J.; Erickson, Sean D.; Tolopko, Andrew N.; Cao, Shugeng; Craycroft, Jane A.; Scholten, Robert; Fu, Yanling; Wang, Wenquan; Liu, Yong; Zhao, Zhongzhen; Clardy, Jon; Shamu, Caroline E.; Eisenberg, David M.

    2011-01-01

    Aim of the study. Ethnobotanically-driven drug-discovery programs include data related to many aspects of the preparation of botanical medicines, from initial plant collection to chemical extraction and fractionation. The Traditional Medicine-Collection Tracking System (TM-CTS) was created to organize and store data of this type for an international collaborative project involving the systematic evaluation of commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicinal plants. Materials and Methods. The system was developed using domain-driven design techniques, and is implemented using Java, Hibernate, PostgreSQL, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), and Apache Tomcat. Results. The TM-CTS relational database schema contains over 70 data types, comprising over 500 data fields. The system incorporates a number of unique features that are useful in the context of ethnobotanical projects such as support for information about botanical collection, method of processing, quality tests for plants with existing pharmacopoeia standards, chemical extraction and fractionation, and historical uses of the plants. The database also accommodates data provided in multiple languages and integration with a database system built to support high throughput screening based drug discovery efforts. It is accessed via a web-based application that provides extensive, multi-format reporting capabilities. Conclusions. This new database system was designed to support a project evaluating the bioactivity of Chinese medicinal plants. The software used to create the database is open source, freely available, and could potentially be applied to other ethnobotanically-driven natural product collection and drug-discovery programs. PMID:21420479

  5. A 3D model of ovarian cancer cell lines on peptide nanofiber scaffold to explore the cell–scaffold interaction and chemotherapeutic resistance of anticancer drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zehong Yang

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Zehong Yang1, Xiaojun Zhao1,21Nanomedicine Laboratory, West China Hospital and Institute for Nanobiomedical Technology and Membrane Biology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2Center for Biomedical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USAAbstract: RADA16-I peptide hydrogel, a type of nanofiber scaffold derived from self-assembling peptide RADA16-I, has been extensively applied to regenerative medicine and tissue repair in order to develop novel nanomedicine systems. In this study, using RADA16-I peptide hydrogel, a three-dimensional (3D cell culture model was fabricated for in vitro culture of three ovarian cancer cell lines. Firstly, the peptide nanofiber scaffold was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy and atom force microscopy. Using phase contrast microscopy, the appearance of the representative ovarian cancer cells encapsulated in RADA16-I peptide hydrogel on days 1, 3, and 7 in 24-well Petri dishes was illustrated. The cancer cell–nanofiber scaffold construct was cultured for 5 days, and the ovarian cancer cells had actively proliferative potential. The precultured ovarian cancer cells exhibited nearly similar adhesion properties and invasion potentials in vitro between RADA16-I peptide nanofiber and type I collagen, which suggested that RADA16-I peptide hydrogel had some similar characteristics to type I collagen. The precultured ovarian cancer cells had two-fold to five-fold higher anticancer drug resistance than the conventional two-dimensional Petri dish culture. So the 3D cell model on peptide nanofiber scaffold is an optimal type of cell pattern for anticancer drug screening and tumor biology.Keywords: 3D culture, anticancer drug, nanofiber scaffold, cell viability, ovarian cancer

  6. Epithelioid Sarcoma: Opportunities for Biology-Driven Targeted Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noujaim, Jonathan; Thway, Khin; Bajwa, Zia; Bajwa, Ayeza; Maki, Robert G; Jones, Robin L; Keller, Charles

    2015-01-01

    Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) is a soft tissue sarcoma of children and young adults for which the preferred treatment for localized disease is wide surgical resection. Medical management is to a great extent undefined, and therefore for patients with regional and distal metastases, the development of targeted therapies is greatly desired. In this review, we will summarize clinically relevant biomarkers (e.g., SMARCB1, CA125, dysadherin, and others) with respect to targeted therapeutic opportunities. We will also examine the role of EGFR, mTOR, and polykinase inhibitors (e.g., sunitinib) in the management of local and disseminated disease. Toward building a consortium of pharmaceutical, academic, and non-profit collaborators, we will discuss the state of resources for investigating ES with respect to cell line resources, tissue banks, and registries so that a roadmap can be developed toward effective biology-driven therapies.

  7. Using DNA nanotechnology to produce a drug delivery system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La, Thi Huyen; Nguyen, Thi Thu Thuy; Pham, Van Phuc; Nguyen, Thi Minh Huyen; Le, Quang Huan

    2013-01-01

    Drug delivery to cancer cells in chemotherapy is one of the most advanced research topics. The effectiveness of the current cancer treatment drugs is limited because they are not capable of distinguishing between cancer cells and normal cells so that they kill not only cancer cells but also normal ones. To overcome this disadvantage by profiting from the differences in physical and chemical properties between cancer and normal cells, nanoparticles (NPs) delivering a drug are designed in a specific manner such that they can distinguish the cancer cells from the normal ones and are targeted only to the cancer cells. Currently, there are various drug delivery systems with many advantages, but sharing some common disadvantages such as difficulty with controlling the size, low encapsulation capacity and low stability. With the development and success of DNA nanotechnology, DNA strands are used to create effective drug delivery NPs with precisely controlled size and structure, safety and high stability. This article presents our study on drug encapsulation in DNA nanostructure which loaded docetaxel and curcumin in a desire to create a new and effective drug delivery system with high biological compatibility. (paper)

  8. Non-cancer drug consumption during the early trajectory of lymphoma survivorship.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rioufol, Catherine; Lamy, Sébastien; Conte, Cécile; Jeanneau, Pauline; Compaci, Giselle; Delpierre, Cyrille; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse; Laurent, Guy; Despas, Fabien

    2017-11-22

    This study explored the use of non-cancer drugs in lymphoma survivors during the early trajectory (0 to 2 years) of cancer survivorship and determined the factors that influenced this consumption. Between January and March 2014, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess drug consumption in adult lymphoma survivors at the Toulouse University Hospital. This study was based on a questionnaire consisting of ten open questions related to medical prescription and/or self-medication occurring within the last 3 months. A total of 83/103 lymphoma survivors returned the questionnaire. This study showed that 91.6% of patients were drug consumers (about twice more than the general French population). Twenty percent of patients were treated with≥5 drugs. Overall drug consumption mainly concerned analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs and psychotropics. The presence of comorbidity, urban residence and female gender were associated with overall drug consumption. Moreover, half of survivors required at least one self-medication. Finally, only seven survivors (8.4%) reported no use of any medication. This study shows that, at least during the early trajectory of cancer survivorship, lymphoma patients are heavily treated with non-cancer drug therapy. This drug consumption profile may have serious implications in terms of safety, overall benefit and health economics. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  9. Solid Phase Microextraction and Related Techniques for Drugs in Biological Samples

    OpenAIRE

    Moein, Mohammad Mahdi; Said, Rana; Bassyouni, Fatma; Abdel-Rehim, Mohamed

    2014-01-01

    In drug discovery and development, the quantification of drugs in biological samples is an important task for the determination of the physiological performance of the investigated drugs. After sampling, the next step in the analytical process is sample preparation. Because of the low concentration levels of drug in plasma and the variety of the metabolites, the selected extraction technique should be virtually exhaustive. Recent developments of sample handling techniques are directed, from o...

  10. A network-based drug repositioning infrastructure for precision cancer medicine through targeting significantly mutated genes in the human cancer genomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Feixiong; Zhao, Junfei; Fooksa, Michaela; Zhao, Zhongming

    2016-07-01

    Development of computational approaches and tools to effectively integrate multidomain data is urgently needed for the development of newly targeted cancer therapeutics. We proposed an integrative network-based infrastructure to identify new druggable targets and anticancer indications for existing drugs through targeting significantly mutated genes (SMGs) discovered in the human cancer genomes. The underlying assumption is that a drug would have a high potential for anticancer indication if its up-/down-regulated genes from the Connectivity Map tended to be SMGs or their neighbors in the human protein interaction network. We assembled and curated 693 SMGs in 29 cancer types and found 121 proteins currently targeted by known anticancer or noncancer (repurposed) drugs. We found that the approved or experimental cancer drugs could potentially target these SMGs in 33.3% of the mutated cancer samples, and this number increased to 68.0% by drug repositioning through surveying exome-sequencing data in approximately 5000 normal-tumor pairs from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Furthermore, we identified 284 potential new indications connecting 28 cancer types and 48 existing drugs (adjusted P < .05), with a 66.7% success rate validated by literature data. Several existing drugs (e.g., niclosamide, valproic acid, captopril, and resveratrol) were predicted to have potential indications for multiple cancer types. Finally, we used integrative analysis to showcase a potential mechanism-of-action for resveratrol in breast and lung cancer treatment whereby it targets several SMGs (ARNTL, ASPM, CTTN, EIF4G1, FOXP1, and STIP1). In summary, we demonstrated that our integrative network-based infrastructure is a promising strategy to identify potential druggable targets and uncover new indications for existing drugs to speed up molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All

  11. New Molecules and Old Drugs as Emerging Approaches to Selectively Target Human Glioblastoma Cancer Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Würth

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite relevant progress obtained by multimodal treatment, glioblastoma (GBM, the most aggressive primary brain tumor, is still incurable. The most encouraging advancement of GBM drug research derives from the identification of cancer stem cells (CSCs, since these cells appear to represent the determinants of resistance to current standard therapies. The goal of most ongoing studies is to identify drugs able to affect CSCs biology, either inducing selective toxicity or differentiating this tumor cell population into nontumorigenic cells. Moreover, the therapeutic approach for GBM could be improved interfering with chemo- or radioresistance mechanisms, microenvironment signals, and the neoangiogenic process. During the last years, molecular targeted compounds such as sorafenib and old drugs, like metformin, displayed interesting efficacy in preclinical studies towards several tumors, including GBM, preferentially affecting CSC viability. In this review, the latest experimental results, controversies, and prospective application concerning these promising anticancer drugs will be discussed.

  12. The ABC7 regimen: a new approach to metastatic breast cancer using seven common drugs to inhibit epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and augment capecitabine efficacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kast RE

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Richard E Kast,1 Nicolas Skuli,2 Samuel Cos,3 Georg Karpel-Massler,4 Yusuke Shiozawa,5 Ran Goshen,6 Marc-Eric Halatsch4 1IIAIGC Study Center, Burlington, VT, USA; 2INSERM, Centre de Recherches en Cancérologie de Toulouse – CRCT, UMR1037 Inserm/Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France; 3Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria and Valdecilla Research Institute (IDIVAL, Santander, Spain; 4Department of Neurosurgery, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany; 5Department of Cancer Biology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 6Eliaso Consulting Ltd., Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel Abstract: Breast cancer metastatic to bone has a poor prognosis despite recent advances in our understanding of the biology of both bone and breast cancer. This article presents a new approach, the ABC7 regimen (Adjuvant for Breast Cancer treatment using seven repurposed drugs, to metastatic breast cancer. ABC7 aims to defeat aspects of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT that lead to dissemination of breast cancer to bone. As add-on to current standard treatment with capecitabine, ABC7 uses ancillary attributes of seven already-marketed noncancer treatment drugs to stop both the natural EMT process inherent to breast cancer and the added EMT occurring as a response to current treatment modalities. Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery provoke EMT in cancer generally and in breast cancer specifically. ABC7 uses standard doses of capecitabine as used in treating breast cancer today. In addition, ABC7 uses 1 an older psychiatric drug, quetiapine, to block RANK signaling; 2 pirfenidone, an anti-fibrosis drug to block TGF-beta signaling; 3 rifabutin, an antibiotic to block beta-catenin signaling; 4 metformin, a first-line antidiabetic drug to stimulate AMPK and inhibit mammalian target of rapamycin, (mTOR; 5 propranolol, a beta-blocker to block beta

  13. Analysis of antiepileptic drugs in biological fluids by means of electrokinetic chromatography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pucci, Vincenzo; Raggi, Maria Augusta

    2005-02-01

    An overview of the electrokinetic chromatographic methods for the analysis of antiepileptic drug levels in biological samples is presented. In particular, micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography is a very suitable method for the determination of these drugs, because it allows a rapid, selective, and accurate analysis. In addition to the electrokinetic chromatographic studies on the determination of antiepileptic drugs, some information regarding sample pretreatment will also be reported: this is a critical step when the analysis of biological fluids is concerned. The electrokinetic chromatographic methods for the determination of recent antiepileptic drugs (e.g., lamotrigine, levetiracetam) and classical anticonvulsants (e.g., carbamazepine, phenytoin, ethosuximide, valproic acid) will be discussed in depth, and their pharmacological profiles will be briefly described as well.

  14. Molecular mechanisms and theranostic potential of miRNAs in drug resistance of gastric cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Wanli; Ma, Jiaojiao; Zhou, Wei; Cao, Bo; Zhou, Xin; Yang, Zhiping; Zhang, Hongwei; Zhao, Qingchuan; Fan, Daiming; Hong, Liu

    2017-11-01

    Systemic chemotherapy is a curative approach to inhibit gastric cancer cells proliferation. Despite the great progress in anti-cancer treatment achieved during the last decades, drug resistance and treatment refractoriness still extensively persists. Recently, accumulating studies have highlighted the role of miRNAs in drug resistance of gastric cancers by modulating some drug resistance-related proteins and genes expression. Pre-clinical reports indicate that miRNAs might serve as ideal biomarkers and potential targets, thus holding great promise for developing targeted therapy and personalized treatment for the patients with gastric cancer. Areas covered: This review provide a comprehensive overview of the current advances of miRNAs and molecular mechanisms underlying miRNA-mediated drug resistance in gastric cancer. We particularly focus on the potential values of drug resistance-related miRNAs as biomarkers and novel targets in gastric cancer therapy and envisage the future research developments of these miRNAs and challenges in translating the new findings into clinical applications. Expert opinion: Although the concrete mechanisms of miRNAs in drug resistance of gastric cancer have not been fully clarified, miRNA may be a promising theranostic approach. Further studies are still needed to facilitate the clinical applications of miRNAs in drug resistant gastric cancer.

  15. Biological in situ Dose Painting for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy Using Drug-Loaded Implantable Devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cormack, Robert A.; Sridhar, Srinivas; Suh, W. Warren; D'Amico, Anthony V.; Makrigiorgos, G. Mike

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Implantable devices routinely used for increasing spatial accuracy in modern image-guided radiation treatments (IGRT), such as fiducials or brachytherapy spacers, encompass the potential for in situ release of biologically active drugs, providing an opportunity to enhance the therapeutic ratio. We model this new approach for two types of treatment. Methods and Materials: Radiopaque fiducials used in IGRT, or prostate brachytherapy spacers ('eluters'), were assumed to be loaded with radiosensitizer for in situ drug slow release. An analytic function describing the concentration of radiosensitizer versus distance from eluters, depending on diffusion-elimination properties of the drug in tissue, was developed. Tumor coverage by the drug was modeled for tumors typical of lung stereotactic body radiation therapy treatments for various eluter dimensions and drug properties. Six prostate 125 I brachytherapy cases were analyzed by assuming implantation of drug-loaded spacers. Radiosensitizer-induced subvolume boost was simulated from which biologically effective doses for typical radiosensitizers were calculated in one example. Results: Drug distributions from three-dimensional arrangements of drug eluters versus eluter size and drug properties were tabulated. Four radiosensitizer-loaded fiducials provide adequate radiosensitization for ∼4-cm-diameter lung tumors, thus potentially boosting biologically equivalent doses in centrally located stereotactic body treated lesions. Similarly, multiple drug-loaded spacers provide prostate brachytherapy with flexible shaping of 'biologically equivalent doses' to fit requirements difficult to meet by using radiation alone, e.g., boosting a high-risk region juxtaposed to the urethra while respecting normal tissue tolerance of both the urethra and the rectum. Conclusions: Drug loading of implantable devices routinely used in IGRT provides new opportunities for therapy modulation via biological in situ dose painting.

  16. Development and characterization of multifunctional nanoparticles for drug delivery to cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nahire, Rahul Rajaram

    Lipid and polymeric nanoparticles, although proven to be effective drug delivery systems compared to free drugs, have shown considerable limitations pertaining to their uptake and release at tumor sites. Spatial and temporal control over the delivery of anticancer drugs has always been challenge to drug delivery scientists. Here, we have developed and characterized multifunctional nanoparticles (liposomes and polymersomes) which are targeted specifically to cancer cells, and release their contents with tumor specific internal triggers. To enable these nanoparticles to be tracked in blood circulation, we have imparted them with echogenic characteristic. Echogenicity of nanoparticles is evaluated using ultrasound scattering and imaging experiments. Nanoparticles demonstrated effective release with internal triggers such as elevated levels of MMP-9 enzyme found in the extracellular matrix of tumor cells, decreased pH of lysosome, and differential concentration of reducing agents in cytosol of cancer cells. We have also successfully demonstrated the sensitivity of these particles towards ultrasound to further enhance the release with internal triggers. To ensure the selective uptake by folate receptor- overexpressing cancer cells, we decorated these nanoparticles with folic acid on their surface. Fluorescence microscopic images showed significantly higher uptake of folate-targeted nanoparticles by MCF-7 (breast cancer) and PANC-1 (pancreatic cancer) cells compared to particles without any targeting ligand on their surface. To demonstrate the effectiveness of these nanoparticles to carry the drugs inside and kill cancer cells, we encapsulated doxorubicin and/or gemcitabine employing the pH gradient method. Drug loaded nanoparticles showed significantly higher killing of the cancer cells compared to their non-targeted counterparts and free drugs. With further development, these nanoparticles certainly have potential to be used as a multifunctional nanocarriers for image

  17. The inception and evolution of a unique masters program in cancer biology, prevention and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cousin, Carolyn; Blancato, Jan

    2010-09-01

    The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC), Georgetown University Medical Center established a Masters Degree Program in Cancer Biology, Prevention and Control at UDC that is jointly administered and taught by UDC and LCCC faculty. The goal of the Masters Degree Program is to educate students as master-level cancer professionals capable of conducting research and service in cancer biology, prevention, and control or to further advance the education of students to pursue doctoral studies. The Program's unique nature is reflected in its philosophy "the best cancer prevention and control researchers are those with a sound understanding of cancer biology". This program is a full-time, 2-year, 36-credit degree in which students take half of their coursework at UDC and half of their coursework at LCCC. During the second year, students are required to conduct research either at LCCC or UDC. Unlike most cancer biology programs, this unique Program emphasizes both cancer biology and cancer outreach training.

  18. Interaction of celecoxib with different anti-cancer drugs is antagonistic in breast but not in other cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Awady, Raafat A.; Saleh, Ekram M.; Ezz, Marwa; Elsayed, Abeer M.

    2011-01-01

    Celecoxib, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, is being investigated for enhancement of chemotherapy efficacy in cancer clinical trials. This study investigates the ability of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors to sensitize cells from different origins to several chemotherapeutic agents. The effect of the drug's mechanism of action and sequence of administration are also investigated. The sensitivity, cell cycle, apoptosis and DNA damage of five different cancer cell lines (HeLa, HCT116, HepG2, MCF7 and U251) to 5-FU, cisplatin, doxorubicin and etoposide ± celecoxib following different incubation schedules were analyzed. We found antagonism between celecoxib and the four drugs in the breast cancer cells MCF7 following all incubation schedules and between celecoxib and doxorubicin in all cell lines except for two combinations in HCT116 cells. Celecoxib with the other three drugs in the remaining four cell lines resulted in variable interactions. Mechanistic investigations revealed that celecoxib exerts different molecular effects in different cells. In some lines, it abrogates the drug-induced G2/M arrest enhancing pre-mature entry into mitosis with damaged DNA thus increasing apoptosis and resulting in synergism. In other cells, it enhances drug-induced G2/M arrest allowing time to repair drug-induced DNA damage before entry into mitosis and decreasing cell death resulting in antagonism. In some synergistic combinations, celecoxib-induced abrogation of G2/M arrest was not associated with apoptosis but permanent arrest in G1 phase. These results, if confirmed in-vivo, indicate that celecoxib is not a suitable chemosensitizer for breast cancer or with doxorubicin for other cancers. Moreover, combination of celecoxib with other drugs should be tailored to the tumor type, drug and administration schedule. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: → Celecoxib may enhance effects of anticancer drugs. → Its combination with four drugs was tested in five cancer cell

  19. Population-based differences in treatment outcome following anticancer drug therapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Brigette By; Hui, Edwin P; Mok, Tony Sk

    2010-01-01

    Population-based differences in toxicity and clinical outcome following treatment with anticancer drugs have an important effect on oncology practice and drug development. These differences arise from complex interactions between biological and environmental factors, which include genetic diversity affecting drug metabolism and the expression of drug targets, variations in tumour biology and host physiology, socioeconomic disparities, and regional preferences in treatment standards. Some well-known examples include the high prevalence of activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in pulmonary adenocarcinoma among northeast (China, Japan, Korea) and parts of southeast Asia (excluding India) non-smokers, which predict sensitivity to EGFR kinase inhibitors, and the sharp contrast between Japan and the west in the management and survival outcome of gastric cancer. This review is a critical overview of population-based differences in the four most prevalent cancers in the world: lung, breast, colorectal, and stomach cancer. Particular attention is given to the clinical relevance of such knowledge in terms of the individualisation of drug therapy and in the design of clinical trials. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Chromosomal Instability in Gastric Cancer Biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saffiyeh Saboor Maleki

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Gastric cancer (GC is the fifth most common cancer in the world and accounts for 7% of the total cancer incidence. The prognosis of GC is dismal in Western countries due to late diagnosis: approximately 70% of the patients die within 5 years following initial diagnosis. Recently, integrative genomic analyses led to the proposal of a molecular classification of GC into four subtypes, i.e.,microsatellite-instable, Epstein-Barr virus–positive, chromosomal-instable (CIN, and genomically stable GCs. Molecular classification of GC advances our knowledge of the biology of GC and may have implications for diagnostics and patient treatment. Diagnosis of microsatellite-instable GC and Epstein-Barr virus–positive GC is more or less straightforward. Microsatellite instability can be tested by immunohistochemistry (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 and/or molecular-biological analysis. Epstein-Barr virus–positive GC can be tested by in situ hybridization (Epstein-Barr virus encoded small RNA. However, with regard to CIN, testing may be more complicated and may require a more in-depth knowledge of the underlying mechanism leading to CIN. In addition, CIN GC may not constitute a distinct subgroup but may rather be a compilation of a more heterogeneous group of tumors. In this review, we aim to clarify the definition of CIN and to point out the molecular mechanisms leading to this molecular phenotype and the challenges faced in characterizing this type of cancer.

  1. The application of carbon nanotubes in target drug delivery systems for cancer therapies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wuxu; Zhang, Zhenzhong; Zhang, Yingge

    2011-10-01

    Among all cancer treatment options, chemotherapy continues to play a major role in killing free cancer cells and removing undetectable tumor micro-focuses. Although chemotherapies are successful in some cases, systemic toxicity may develop at the same time due to lack of selectivity of the drugs for cancer tissues and cells, which often leads to the failure of chemotherapies. Obviously, the therapeutic effects will be revolutionarily improved if human can deliver the anticancer drugs with high selectivity to cancer cells or cancer tissues. This selective delivery of the drugs has been called target treatment. To realize target treatment, the first step of the strategies is to build up effective target drug delivery systems. Generally speaking, such a system is often made up of the carriers and drugs, of which the carriers play the roles of target delivery. An ideal carrier for target drug delivery systems should have three pre-requisites for their functions: (1) they themselves have target effects; (2) they have sufficiently strong adsorptive effects for anticancer drugs to ensure they can transport the drugs to the effect-relevant sites; and (3) they can release the drugs from them in the effect-relevant sites, and only in this way can the treatment effects develop. The transporting capabilities of carbon nanotubes combined with appropriate surface modifications and their unique physicochemical properties show great promise to meet the three pre-requisites. Here, we review the progress in the study on the application of carbon nanotubes as target carriers in drug delivery systems for cancer therapies.

  2. pH-responsive polymer–drug conjugates as multifunctional micelles for cancer-drug delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Yang; Ha, Wei; Ma, Yuan; Ding, Li-Sheng; Li, Bang-Jing; Liu, Ying-Qian; Fan, Min-Min; Zhang, Sheng

    2014-01-01

    We developed a novel linear pH-sensitive conjugate methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-4β-aminopodophyllotoxin (mPEG-NPOD-I) by a covalently linked 4β-aminopodophyllotoxin (NPOD) and PEG via imine bond, which was amphiphilic and self-assembled to micelles in an aqueous solution. The mPEG-NPOD-I micelles simultaneously served as an anticancer drug conjugate and as drug carriers. As a drug conjugate, mPEG-NPOD-I showed a significantly faster NPOD release at a mildly acidic pH of 5.0 and 4.0 than a physiological pH of 7.4. Notably, it was confirmed that this drug conjugate could efficiently deliver NPOD to the nuclei of the tumor cells and led to much more cytotoxic effects to A549, Hela, and HepG2 cancer cells than the parent NPOD. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of mPEG-NPOD-I was about one order magnitude lower than that of the NPOD. In vivo, mPEG-NPOD-I reduced the size of the tumors significantly, and the biodistribution studies indicated that this drug conjugate could selectively accumulate in tumor tissues. As drug carriers, the mPEG-NPOD-I micelles encapsulated hydrophobic PTX with drug-loading efficiencies of 57% and drug-loading content of 16%. The loaded PTX also showed pH-triggered fast release behavior, and good additive cytotoxicity effect was observed for the PEG-NPOD-I/PTX. We are convinced that these multifunctional drug conjugate micelles have tremendous potential for targeted cancer therapy. (paper)

  3. MO-DE-207B-03: Improved Cancer Classification Using Patient-Specific Biological Pathway Information Via Gene Expression Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Young, M; Craft, D [Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To develop an efficient, pathway-based classification system using network biology statistics to assist in patient-specific response predictions to radiation and drug therapies across multiple cancer types. Methods: We developed PICS (Pathway Informed Classification System), a novel two-step cancer classification algorithm. In PICS, a matrix m of mRNA expression values for a patient cohort is collapsed into a matrix p of biological pathways. The entries of p, which we term pathway scores, are obtained from either principal component analysis (PCA), normal tissue centroid (NTC), or gene expression deviation (GED). The pathway score matrix is clustered using both k-means and hierarchical clustering, and a clustering is judged by how well it groups patients into distinct survival classes. The most effective pathway scoring/clustering combination, per clustering p-value, thus generates various ‘signatures’ for conventional and functional cancer classification. Results: PICS successfully regularized large dimension gene data, separated normal and cancerous tissues, and clustered a large patient cohort spanning six cancer types. Furthermore, PICS clustered patient cohorts into distinct, statistically-significant survival groups. For a suboptimally-debulked ovarian cancer set, the pathway-classified Kaplan-Meier survival curve (p = .00127) showed significant improvement over that of a prior gene expression-classified study (p = .0179). For a pancreatic cancer set, the pathway-classified Kaplan-Meier survival curve (p = .00141) showed significant improvement over that of a prior gene expression-classified study (p = .04). Pathway-based classification confirmed biomarkers for the pyrimidine, WNT-signaling, glycerophosphoglycerol, beta-alanine, and panthothenic acid pathways for ovarian cancer. Despite its robust nature, PICS requires significantly less run time than current pathway scoring methods. Conclusion: This work validates the PICS method to improve

  4. Proteomics in studying cancer stem cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kranenburg, Onno; Emmink, Benjamin L; Knol, Jaco; van Houdt, Winan J; Rinkes, Inne H M Borel; Jimenez, Connie R

    2012-06-01

    Normal multipotent tissue stem cells (SCs) are the driving force behind tissue turnover and repair. The cancer stem cell theory holds that tumors also contain stem-like cells that drive tumor growth and metastasis formation. However, very little is known about the regulation of SC maintenance pathways in cancer and how these are affected by cancer-specific genetic alterations and by treatment. Proteomics is emerging as a powerful tool to identify the signaling complexes and pathways that control multi- and pluri-potency and SC differentiation. Here, the authors review the novel insights that these studies have provided and present a comprehensive strategy for the use of proteomics in studying cancer SC biology.

  5. Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Cancer Death in the Finnish Prostate Cancer Screening Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thea Veitonmäki

    Full Text Available Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, especially aspirin, have been associated with lowered cancer incidence and mortality. We examined overall cancer mortality and mortality from specific cancer sites among the 80,144 men in the Finnish Prostate Cancer Screening Trial. Information on prescription drug use was acquired from the national drug reimbursement database. Over-the-counter use information was gathered by a questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HR and 95% confidence intervals (CI by prescription and over-the-counter NSAID use for overall and specific cancer deaths were calculated using Cox regression. During the median follow-up time of 15 years, 7,008 men died from cancer. Men with prescription NSAID use had elevated cancer mortality (HR 2.02 95% CI 1.91-2.15 compared to non-users. The mortality risk was increased for lung, colorectal and pancreas cancer mortality (HR 2.68, 95%CI 2.40-2.99, HR 1.91, 95% CI 1.57-2.32 and HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.58-2.37, respectively. The increased risk remained in competing risks regression (HR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.18. When the usage during the last three years of follow-up was excluded, the effect was reversed (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.65-0.73. Cancer mortality was not decreased for prescription or over-the-counter aspirin use. However, in the competing risk regression analysis combined prescription and over-the-counter aspirin use was associated with decreased overall cancer mortality (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.70-0.82. Cancer mortality was increased for NSAID users. However, the risk disappeared when the last 3 years were excluded.

  6. Joining Forces: The Chemical Biology-Medicinal Chemistry Continuum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plowright, Alleyn T; Ottmann, Christian; Arkin, Michelle; Auberson, Yves P; Timmerman, Henk; Waldmann, Herbert

    2017-09-21

    The scientific advances being made across all disciplines are creating ever-increasing opportunities to enhance our knowledge of biological systems and how they relate to human disease. One of the central driving forces in discovering new medicines is medicinal chemistry, where the design and synthesis of novel compounds has led to multiple drugs. Chemical biology, sitting at the interface of many disciplines, has now emerged as a major contributor to the understanding of biological systems and is becoming an integral part of drug discovery. Bringing chemistry and biology much closer and blurring the boundaries between disciplines is creating new opportunities to probe and understand biology; both disciplines play key roles and need to join forces and work together effectively to synergize their impact. The power of chemical biology will then reach its full potential and drive innovation, leading to the discovery of transformative medicines to treat patients. Advances in cancer biology and drug discovery highlight this potential. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. P1 promoter-driven HNF4α isoforms are specifically repressed by β-catenin signaling in colorectal cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babeu, Jean-Philippe; Jones, Christine; Geha, Sameh; Carrier, Julie C; Boudreau, François

    2018-06-13

    HNF4α is a key nuclear receptor for regulating gene expression in the gut. While both P1 and P2 isoform classes of HNF4α are expressed in colonic epithelium, specific inhibition of P1 isoforms is commonly found in colorectal cancer. Previous studies have suggested that P1 and P2 isoforms may regulate different cellular functions. Despite these advances, it remains unclear whether these isoform classes are functionally divergent in the context of human biology. Here, the consequences of specific inhibition of P1 or P2 isoform expression was measured in a human colorectal cancer cell transcriptome. Results indicate that P1 isoforms were specifically associated with the control of cell metabolism while P2 isoforms globally supported aberrant oncogenic signalization, promoting cancer cell survival and progression. P1 promoter-driven isoform expression was found to be repressed by β-catenin, one of the earliest oncogenic pathways to be activated during colon tumorigenesis. These findings identify a novel cascade by which the expression of P1 isoforms are rapidly shut down in the early stages of colon tumorigenesis, allowing a change in HNF4α-dependent transcriptome thereby promoting colorectal cancer progression. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  8. Proteomics of anti-cancer drugs

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kovářová, Hana; Martinková, Jiřina; Hrabáková, Rita; Skalníková, Helena; Novák, Petr; Hajdůch, M.; Gadher, S. J.

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 276, Supplement 1 (2009), s. 84-84 E-ISSN 1742-4658. [34th FEBS Congress. 04.07.2009-09.07.2009, Praha] R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC07017 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515; CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : proteomics * anti-cancer drugs * biomarkers Subject RIV: FD - Oncology ; Hematology

  9. Promoting Student Inquiry Using "Zea Mays" (Corn) Cultivars for Hypothesis-Driven Experimentation in a Majors Introductory Biology Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blair, Amy C.; Peters, Brenda J.; Bendixen, Conrad W.

    2014-01-01

    The AAAS Vision and Change report (2011) recommends incorporating student research experiences into the biology curriculum at the undergraduate level. This article describes, in detail, how "Zea mays" (corn) cultivars were used as a model for a hypothesis-driven short-term research project in an introductory biology course at a small…

  10. Giving Drugs a Second Chance: Overcoming Regulatory and Financial Hurdles in Repurposing Approved Drugs As Cancer Therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, J Javier; Pryszlak, Michael; Smith, Lindsay; Yanchus, Connor; Kurji, Naheed; Shahani, Vijay M; Molinski, Steven V

    2017-01-01

    The repositioning or "repurposing" of existing therapies for alternative disease indications is an attractive approach that can save significant investments of time and money during drug development. For cancer indications, the primary goal of repurposed therapies is on efficacy, with less restriction on safety due to the immediate need to treat this patient population. This report provides a high-level overview of how drug developers pursuing repurposed assets have previously navigated funding efforts, regulatory affairs, and intellectual property laws to commercialize these "new" medicines in oncology. This article provides insight into funding programs (e.g., government grants and philanthropic organizations) that academic and corporate initiatives can leverage to repurpose drugs for cancer. In addition, we highlight previous examples where secondary uses of existing, Food and Drug Administration- or European Medicines Agency-approved therapies have been predicted in silico and successfully validated in vitro and/or in vivo (i.e., animal models and human clinical trials) for certain oncology indications. Finally, we describe the strategies that the pharmaceutical industry has previously employed to navigate regulatory considerations and successfully commercialize their drug products. These factors must be carefully considered when repurposing existing drugs for cancer to best benefit patients and drug developers alike.

  11. Giving Drugs a Second Chance: Overcoming Regulatory and Financial Hurdles in Repurposing Approved Drugs As Cancer Therapeutics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Javier Hernandez

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The repositioning or “repurposing” of existing therapies for alternative disease indications is an attractive approach that can save significant investments of time and money during drug development. For cancer indications, the primary goal of repurposed therapies is on efficacy, with less restriction on safety due to the immediate need to treat this patient population. This report provides a high-level overview of how drug developers pursuing repurposed assets have previously navigated funding efforts, regulatory affairs, and intellectual property laws to commercialize these “new” medicines in oncology. This article provides insight into funding programs (e.g., government grants and philanthropic organizations that academic and corporate initiatives can leverage to repurpose drugs for cancer. In addition, we highlight previous examples where secondary uses of existing, Food and Drug Administration- or European Medicines Agency-approved therapies have been predicted in silico and successfully validated in vitro and/or in vivo (i.e., animal models and human clinical trials for certain oncology indications. Finally, we describe the strategies that the pharmaceutical industry has previously employed to navigate regulatory considerations and successfully commercialize their drug products. These factors must be carefully considered when repurposing existing drugs for cancer to best benefit patients and drug developers alike.

  12. In Vivo Measurement of Drug Efficacy in Breast Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-10-01

    term for breast cancer treatment. During Year 2, this project has focused on developing drug and NP drug delivery methods for testing in animal...Nanoformulations for drug delivery Months GSU % Complete Subtask 2a: In vitro validation and comparison of nano encapsulated and unencapsulated versions of...overexpressing the protein target, CSF-1R, with various forms of the drug via a Presto-Blue assay (Figure 2). For other drugs , such as Afatinib Page 6

  13. Quantification of pancreatic cancer proteome and phosphorylome: indicates molecular events likely contributing to cancer and activity of drug targets.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Britton

    Full Text Available LC-MS/MS phospho-proteomics is an essential technology to help unravel the complex molecular events that lead to and propagate cancer. We have developed a global phospho-proteomic workflow to determine activity of signaling pathways and drug targets in pancreatic cancer tissue for clinical application.Peptides resulting from tryptic digestion of proteins extracted from frozen tissue of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and background pancreas (n = 12, were labelled with tandem mass tags (TMT 8-plex, separated by strong cation exchange chromatography, then were analysed by LC-MS/MS directly or first enriched for phosphopeptides using IMAC and TiO2, prior to analysis. In-house, commercial and freeware bioinformatic platforms were used to identify relevant biological events from the complex dataset.Of 2,101 proteins identified, 152 demonstrated significant difference in abundance between tumor and non-tumor tissue. They included proteins that are known to be up-regulated in pancreatic cancer (e.g. Mucin-1, but the majority were new candidate markers such as HIPK1 & MLCK. Of the 6,543 unique phosphopeptides identified (6,284 unique phosphorylation sites, 635 showed significant regulation, particularly those from proteins involved in cell migration (Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors & MRCKα and formation of focal adhesions. Activator phosphorylation sites on FYN, AKT1, ERK2, HDAC1 and other drug targets were found to be highly modulated (≥2 fold in different cases highlighting their predictive power.Here we provided critical information enabling us to identify the common and unique molecular events likely contributing to cancer in each case. Such information may be used to help predict more bespoke therapy suitable for an individual case.

  14. Quantification of pancreatic cancer proteome and phosphorylome: indicates molecular events likely contributing to cancer and activity of drug targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Britton, David; Zen, Yoh; Quaglia, Alberto; Selzer, Stefan; Mitra, Vikram; Löβner, Christopher; Jung, Stephan; Böhm, Gitte; Schmid, Peter; Prefot, Petra; Hoehle, Claudia; Koncarevic, Sasa; Gee, Julia; Nicholson, Robert; Ward, Malcolm; Castellano, Leandro; Stebbing, Justin; Zucht, Hans Dieter; Sarker, Debashis; Heaton, Nigel; Pike, Ian

    2014-01-01

    LC-MS/MS phospho-proteomics is an essential technology to help unravel the complex molecular events that lead to and propagate cancer. We have developed a global phospho-proteomic workflow to determine activity of signaling pathways and drug targets in pancreatic cancer tissue for clinical application. Peptides resulting from tryptic digestion of proteins extracted from frozen tissue of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and background pancreas (n = 12), were labelled with tandem mass tags (TMT 8-plex), separated by strong cation exchange chromatography, then were analysed by LC-MS/MS directly or first enriched for phosphopeptides using IMAC and TiO2, prior to analysis. In-house, commercial and freeware bioinformatic platforms were used to identify relevant biological events from the complex dataset. Of 2,101 proteins identified, 152 demonstrated significant difference in abundance between tumor and non-tumor tissue. They included proteins that are known to be up-regulated in pancreatic cancer (e.g. Mucin-1), but the majority were new candidate markers such as HIPK1 & MLCK. Of the 6,543 unique phosphopeptides identified (6,284 unique phosphorylation sites), 635 showed significant regulation, particularly those from proteins involved in cell migration (Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors & MRCKα) and formation of focal adhesions. Activator phosphorylation sites on FYN, AKT1, ERK2, HDAC1 and other drug targets were found to be highly modulated (≥2 fold) in different cases highlighting their predictive power. Here we provided critical information enabling us to identify the common and unique molecular events likely contributing to cancer in each case. Such information may be used to help predict more bespoke therapy suitable for an individual case.

  15. Influence of vitamins on cytostatic drugs: radiation-chemical and radiation-biological investigations in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heinrich, E.

    2002-03-01

    Many environmental burdens (air pollution, formation of ozone etc.), humans nowadays are exposed to, in connection with unhealthy way of living promote the formation of free radicals e.g. OH and peroxylradicals in the organism. Those show an enormous cell-damaging effect, and can weaken the immune system or cause cancer diseases. The number of humans suffering from different forms of cancer is rising world-wide. Therefore it is necessary to find new and better therapy forms for this illness. The organism has its own protective system, which is able to capture free radicals and make them innocuous to a large extent. Apart from various enzyme systems the antioxidizing vitamins C (ascorbic acid), E (α-tocopherol) and β-carotin play an important role in this process. Now it was of interest whether vitamin B1 (thiamine) also possesses the ability to work as a radiation protector or to influence the effect of different cytostatic drugs. In the context of this thesis the radiation-chemical and radiation-biological behaviour of vitamin B1 was examined under different conditions (in presence and absence of oxygen as well as in media saturated with N 2 O). HPLC analysis were performed to establish radiolysis products. Furthermore the synergistic effect of vitamin B1 on cytostatic drugs (sanazole, mitomycin C) was studied alone or in combination with other vitamins (C, E and β-carotin) by using two different E. coli bacteria strains as a model for living systems. (author)

  16. 21 CFR 601.50 - Confidentiality of data and information in an investigational new drug notice for a biological...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... investigational new drug notice for a biological product. 601.50 Section 601.50 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... biological product. (a) The existence of an IND notice for a biological product will not be disclosed by the... availability for public disclosure of all data and information in an IND file for a biological product shall be...

  17. In Vitro Drug Sensitivity Tests to Predict Molecular Target Drug Responses in Surgically Resected Lung Cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryohei Miyazaki

    Full Text Available Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK inhibitors have dramatically changed the strategy of medical treatment of lung cancer. Patients should be screened for the presence of the EGFR mutation or echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4-ALK fusion gene prior to chemotherapy to predict their clinical response. The succinate dehydrogenase inhibition (SDI test and collagen gel droplet embedded culture drug sensitivity test (CD-DST are established in vitro drug sensitivity tests, which may predict the sensitivity of patients to cytotoxic anticancer drugs. We applied in vitro drug sensitivity tests for cyclopedic prediction of clinical responses to different molecular targeting drugs.The growth inhibitory effects of erlotinib and crizotinib were confirmed for lung cancer cell lines using SDI and CD-DST. The sensitivity of 35 cases of surgically resected lung cancer to erlotinib was examined using SDI or CD-DST, and compared with EGFR mutation status.HCC827 (Exon19: E746-A750 del and H3122 (EML4-ALK cells were inhibited by lower concentrations of erlotinib and crizotinib, respectively than A549, H460, and H1975 (L858R+T790M cells were. The viability of the surgically resected lung cancer was 60.0 ± 9.8 and 86.8 ± 13.9% in EGFR-mutants vs. wild types in the SDI (p = 0.0003. The cell viability was 33.5 ± 21.2 and 79.0 ± 18.6% in EGFR mutants vs. wild-type cases (p = 0.026 in CD-DST.In vitro drug sensitivity evaluated by either SDI or CD-DST correlated with EGFR gene status. Therefore, SDI and CD-DST may be useful predictors of potential clinical responses to the molecular anticancer drugs, cyclopedically.

  18. Epithelioid Sarcoma: Opportunities for Biology-driven Targeted Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan eNoujaim

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Epithelioid sarcoma is a soft tissue sarcoma of children and young adults for which the preferred treatment for localised disease is wide surgical resection. Medical management is to a great extent undefined, and therefore for patients with regional and distal metastases, the development of targeted therapies is greatly desired. In this review we will summarize clinically-relevant biomarkers (e.g., SMARCB1, CA125, dysadherin and others with respect to targeted therapeutic opportunities. We will also examine the role of EGFR, mTOR and polykinase inhibitors (e.g., sunitinib in the management of local and disseminated disease. Towards building a consortium of pharmaceutical, academic and non-profit collaborators, we will discuss the state of resources for investigating epithelioid sarcoma with respect to cell line resources, tissue banks, and registries so that a roadmap can be developed towards effective biology-driven therapies.

  19. Telomere biology: Rationale for diagnostics and therapeutics in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rousseau, Philippe; Autexier, Chantal

    2015-01-01

    The key step of carcinogenesis is the malignant transformation which is fundamentally a telomere biology dysfunction permitting cells to bypass the Hayflick limit and to divide indefinitely and uncontrollably. Thus all partners and structures involved in normal and abnormal telomere maintenance, protection and lengthening can be considered as potential anti-cancer therapeutic targets. In this Point of View we discuss, highlight and provide new perspectives from the current knowledge and understanding to position the different aspects of telomere biology and dysfunction as diagnostic, preventive and curative tools in the field of cancer.

  20. Systems biology approaches to the study of cardiovascular drugs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nikolsky, Y.; Kleemann, R.

    2010-01-01

    Atherogenic lipids and chronic inflammation drive the development of cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. Many cardiovascular drugs target the liver which is involved in the formation of lipid and inflammatory risk factors. With robust systems biology tools and comprehensive

  1. Osmotically driven drug delivery through remote-controlled magnetic nanocomposite membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Zaher, A.

    2015-09-29

    Implantable drug delivery systems can provide long-term reliability, controllability, and biocompatibility, and have been used in many applications, including cancer pain and non-malignant pain treatment. However, many of the available systems are limited to zero-order, inconsistent, or single burst event drug release. To address these limitations, we demonstrate prototypes of a remotely operated drug delivery device that offers controllability of drug release profiles, using osmotic pumping as a pressure source and magnetically triggered membranes as switchable on-demand valves. The membranes are made of either ethyl cellulose, or the proposed stronger cellulose acetate polymer, mixed with thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel and superparamagnetic iron oxide particles. The prototype devices\\' drug diffusion rates are on the order of 0.5–2 μg/h for higher release rate designs, and 12–40 ng/h for lower release rates, with maximum release ratios of 4.2 and 3.2, respectively. The devices exhibit increased drug delivery rates with higher osmotic pumping rates or with magnetically increased membrane porosity. Furthermore, by vapor deposition of a cyanoacrylate layer, a drastic reduction of the drug delivery rate from micrograms down to tens of nanograms per hour is achieved. By utilizing magnetic membranes as the valve-control mechanism, triggered remotely by means of induction heating, the demonstrated drug delivery devices benefit from having the power source external to the system, eliminating the need for a battery. These designs multiply the potential approaches towards increasing the on-demand controllability and customizability of drug delivery profiles in the expanding field of implantable drug delivery systems, with the future possibility of remotely controlling the pressure source.

  2. Osmotically driven drug delivery through remote-controlled magnetic nanocomposite membranes

    KAUST Repository

    Zaher, Amir; Li, S.; Wolf, K. T.; Pirmoradi, F. N.; Yassine, Omar; Lin, L.; Khashab, Niveen M.; Kosel, Jü rgen

    2015-01-01

    Implantable drug delivery systems can provide long-term reliability, controllability, and biocompatibility, and have been used in many applications, including cancer pain and non-malignant pain treatment. However, many of the available systems are limited to zero-order, inconsistent, or single burst event drug release. To address these limitations, we demonstrate prototypes of a remotely operated drug delivery device that offers controllability of drug release profiles, using osmotic pumping as a pressure source and magnetically triggered membranes as switchable on-demand valves. The membranes are made of either ethyl cellulose, or the proposed stronger cellulose acetate polymer, mixed with thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel and superparamagnetic iron oxide particles. The prototype devices' drug diffusion rates are on the order of 0.5–2 μg/h for higher release rate designs, and 12–40 ng/h for lower release rates, with maximum release ratios of 4.2 and 3.2, respectively. The devices exhibit increased drug delivery rates with higher osmotic pumping rates or with magnetically increased membrane porosity. Furthermore, by vapor deposition of a cyanoacrylate layer, a drastic reduction of the drug delivery rate from micrograms down to tens of nanograms per hour is achieved. By utilizing magnetic membranes as the valve-control mechanism, triggered remotely by means of induction heating, the demonstrated drug delivery devices benefit from having the power source external to the system, eliminating the need for a battery. These designs multiply the potential approaches towards increasing the on-demand controllability and customizability of drug delivery profiles in the expanding field of implantable drug delivery systems, with the future possibility of remotely controlling the pressure source.

  3. Identifying novel drug indications through automated reasoning.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Tari

    Full Text Available With the large amount of pharmacological and biological knowledge available in literature, finding novel drug indications for existing drugs using in silico approaches has become increasingly feasible. Typical literature-based approaches generate new hypotheses in the form of protein-protein interactions networks by means of linking concepts based on their cooccurrences within abstracts. However, this kind of approaches tends to generate too many hypotheses, and identifying new drug indications from large networks can be a time-consuming process.In this work, we developed a method that acquires the necessary facts from literature and knowledge bases, and identifies new drug indications through automated reasoning. This is achieved by encoding the molecular effects caused by drug-target interactions and links to various diseases and drug mechanism as domain knowledge in AnsProlog, a declarative language that is useful for automated reasoning, including reasoning with incomplete information. Unlike other literature-based approaches, our approach is more fine-grained, especially in identifying indirect relationships for drug indications.To evaluate the capability of our approach in inferring novel drug indications, we applied our method to 943 drugs from DrugBank and asked if any of these drugs have potential anti-cancer activities based on information on their targets and molecular interaction types alone. A total of 507 drugs were found to have the potential to be used for cancer treatments. Among the potential anti-cancer drugs, 67 out of 81 drugs (a recall of 82.7% are indeed known cancer drugs. In addition, 144 out of 289 drugs (a recall of 49.8% are non-cancer drugs that are currently tested in clinical trials for cancer treatments. These results suggest that our method is able to infer drug indications (original or alternative based on their molecular targets and interactions alone and has the potential to discover novel drug indications for

  4. Molecular biology of Homo sapiens: Abstracts of papers presented at the 51st Cold Spring Harbor symposium on quantitative biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, J.D.; Siniscalco, M.

    1986-01-01

    This volume contains abstracts of papers presented at the 51st Cold Springs Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology. The topic for this meeting was the ''Molecular Biology of Homo sapiens.'' Sessions were entitled Human Gene Map, Human Cancer Genes, Genetic Diagnosis, Human Evolution, Drugs Made Off Human Genes, Receptors, and Gene Therapy. (DT)

  5. Fertility drugs and the risk of breast and gynecologic cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinton, Louise A; Sahasrabuddhe, Vikrant V; Scoccia, Bert

    2012-04-01

    The evaluation of cancer risk among patients treated for infertility is complex, given the need to consider indications for use, treatment details, and the effects of other factors (including parity status) that independently affect cancer risk. Many studies have had methodologic limitations. Recent studies that have overcome some of these limitations have not confirmed a link between drug use and invasive ovarian cancers, although there is still a lingering question as to whether borderline tumors might be increased. It is unclear whether this merely reflects increased surveillance. Investigations regarding breast cancer risk have produced inconsistent results. In contrast, an increasing number of studies suggest that fertility drugs may have a special predisposition for the development of uterine cancers, of interest given that these tumors are recognized as particularly hormonally responsive. Additional studies are needed to clarify the effects on cancer risk of fertility drugs, especially those used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization. Because many women who have received such treatments are still relatively young, further monitoring should be pursued in large well-designed studies that enable assessment of effects within a variety of subgroups defined by both patient and disease characteristics. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  6. Use of analgesic drugs and risk of ovarian cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ammundsen, Henriette B; Faber, Mette T; Jensen, Allan

    2012-01-01

    The role of analgesic drug use in development of ovarian cancer is not fully understood. We examined the association between analgesic use and risk of ovarian cancer. In addition, we examined whether the association differed according to histological types....

  7. A global comparison of the cost of patented cancer drugs in relation to global differences in wealth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Daniel A; Clark, Jonathon; Tu, Yifan; Zhang, Jie; Fang, Fenqi; Goldstein, Robert; Stemmer, Salomon M; Rosenbaum, Eli

    2017-09-22

    There are major differences in cancer drug prices around the world. However, the patterns of affordability of these drugs are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to compare patterns of affordability of cancer drugs in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Cancer drug prices are highest in the United States. Cancer drugs are the least affordable in India by a large margin. Despite lower prices than in the USA, cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. We obtained the prices of a basket of cancer drugs in all 7 countries, and converted the prices to US$ using both foreign exchange rates and purchasing power parity. We assessed international differences in wealth by collecting values for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in addition to average salaries. We compared patterns of affordability of cancer drugs by dividing the drug prices by the markers of wealth. Cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Differential pricing may be an acceptable policy to ensure global affordability and access to highly active anti-cancer therapies.

  8. Correlativity study on MRI morphologic features, pathology, and molecular biology of breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Rong; Gong Shuigen; Zhang Weiguo; Chen Jinhua; He Shuangwu; Liu Baohua; Li Zengpeng

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the correlation among MRI morphologic features, pathology, and molecular biology of breast cancer. Methods: MR scanning was performed in 78 patients with breast cancer before operation and MRI morphologic features of breast cancer were analyzed. The mastectomy specimens of the breast neoplasm were stained with immunohistochemistry, and the expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), C-erbB-2, p53, and the distribution of microvessel density (MVD) was measured. The pathologic results were compared with MRI features. Results: Among the 80 breast cancers, ER positive expression was positively correlated with the spiculate margin of breast cancer (P 0.05). Among the 41 breast cancers with dynamic MR scans, there was positive correlation between the spatial distribution of contrast agent and MVD (P<0.01). Conclusion: There exists some correlation among MRI morphologic features, pathology, and molecular biology factors in breast cancer to certain extent. The biologic behavior and prognosis of the breast cancer can be assessed according to MRI features

  9. Using DNA nanotechnology to produce a drug delivery system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huyen La, Thi; Thu Thuy Nguyen, Thi; Phuc Pham, Van; Huyen Nguyen, Thi Minh; Huan Le, Quang

    2013-03-01

    Drug delivery to cancer cells in chemotherapy is one of the most advanced research topics. The effectiveness of the current cancer treatment drugs is limited because they are not capable of distinguishing between cancer cells and normal cells so that they kill not only cancer cells but also normal ones. To overcome this disadvantage by profiting from the differences in physical and chemical properties between cancer and normal cells, nanoparticles (NPs) delivering a drug are designed in a specific manner such that they can distinguish the cancer cells from the normal ones and are targeted only to the cancer cells. Currently, there are various drug delivery systems with many advantages, but sharing some common disadvantages such as difficulty with controlling the size, low encapsulation capacity and low stability. With the development and success of DNA nanotechnology, DNA strands are used to create effective drug delivery NPs with precisely controlled size and structure, safety and high stability. This article presents our study on drug encapsulation in DNA nanostructure which loaded docetaxel and curcumin in a desire to create a new and effective drug delivery system with high biological compatibility. Invited talk at the 6th International Workshop on Advanced Materials Science and Nanotechnology, 30 October-2 November, 2012, Ha Long, Vietnam.

  10. Inactivation of nuclear factor κB by MIP-based drug combinations augments cell death of breast cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subramaniam M

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Menaga Subramaniam,1 Su Ki Liew,1 Lionel LA In,2 Khalijah Awang,3,4 Niyaz Ahmed,5 Noor Hasima Nagoor1,6 1Institute of Biological Science (Genetics & Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 3Centre for Natural Product Research and Drug Discovery (CENAR, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 4Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 5Pathogen Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India; 6Centre for Research in Biotechnology for Agriculture (CEBAR, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Background: Drug combination therapy to treat cancer is a strategic approach to increase successful treatment rate. Optimizing combination regimens is vital to increase therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects. Materials and methods: In the present study, we evaluated the in vitro cytotoxicity of double and triple combinations consisting of 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA, Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP and cisplatin (CDDP against 14 various human cancer cell lines to address the need for more effective therapy. Our data show synergistic effects in MCF-7 cells treated with MIP:ACA, MIP:CDDP and MIP:ACA:CDDP combinations. The type of interaction between MIP, ACA and CDDP was evaluated based on combination index being <0.8 for synergistic effect. Identifying the mechanism of cell death based on previous studies involved intrinsic apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB and tested in Western blot analysis. Inactivation of NF-κB was confirmed by p65 and IκBα, while intrinsic apoptosis pathway activation was confirmed by caspase-9 and Apaf-1 expression Results: All combinations confirmed intrinsic apoptosis activation and NF-κB inactivation. Conclusion: Double and triple

  11. Engineered reversal of drug resistance in cancer cells--metastases suppressor factors as change agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Vinod Kumar; Kumar, Akinchan; Mann, Anita; Aggarwal, Suruchi; Kumar, Maneesh; Roy, Sumitabho Deb; Pore, Subrata Kumar; Banerjee, Rajkumar; Mahesh Kumar, Jerald; Thakur, Ram Krishna; Chowdhury, Shantanu

    2014-01-01

    Building molecular correlates of drug resistance in cancer and exploiting them for therapeutic intervention remains a pressing clinical need. To identify factors that impact drug resistance herein we built a model that couples inherent cell-based response toward drugs with transcriptomes of resistant/sensitive cells. To test this model, we focused on a group of genes called metastasis suppressor genes (MSGs) that influence aggressiveness and metastatic potential of cancers. Interestingly, modeling of 84 000 drug response transcriptome combinations predicted multiple MSGs to be associated with resistance of different cell types and drugs. As a case study, on inducing MSG levels in a drug resistant breast cancer line resistance to anticancer drugs caerulomycin, camptothecin and topotecan decreased by more than 50-60%, in both culture conditions and also in tumors generated in mice, in contrast to control un-induced cells. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of engineered reversal of drug resistance in cancer cells based on a model that exploits inherent cellular response profiles.

  12. Mathematical modeling of cell adhesion in shear flow: application to targeted drug delivery in inflammation and cancer metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jadhav, Sameer; Eggleton, Charles D; Konstantopoulos, Konstantinos

    2007-01-01

    Cell adhesion plays a pivotal role in diverse biological processes that occur in the dynamic setting of the vasculature, including inflammation and cancer metastasis. Although complex, the naturally occurring processes that have evolved to allow for cell adhesion in the vasculature can be exploited to direct drug carriers to targeted cells and tissues. Fluid (blood) flow influences cell adhesion at the mesoscale by affecting the mechanical response of cell membrane, the intercellular contact area and collisional frequency, and at the nanoscale level by modulating the kinetics and mechanics of receptor-ligand interactions. Consequently, elucidating the molecular and biophysical nature of cell adhesion requires a multidisciplinary approach involving the synthesis of fundamentals from hydrodynamic flow, molecular kinetics and cell mechanics with biochemistry/molecular cell biology. To date, significant advances have been made in the identification and characterization of the critical cell adhesion molecules involved in inflammatory disorders, and, to a lesser degree, in cancer metastasis. Experimental work at the nanoscale level to determine the lifetime, interaction distance and strain responses of adhesion receptor-ligand bonds has been spurred by the advent of atomic force microscopy and biomolecular force probes, although our current knowledge in this area is far from complete. Micropipette aspiration assays along with theoretical frameworks have provided vital information on cell mechanics. Progress in each of the aforementioned research areas is key to the development of mathematical models of cell adhesion that incorporate the appropriate biological, kinetic and mechanical parameters that would lead to reliable qualitative and quantitative predictions. These multiscale mathematical models can be employed to predict optimal drug carrier-cell binding through isolated parameter studies and engineering optimization schemes, which will be essential for developing

  13. Spherical Cancer Models in Tumor Biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Louis-Bastien Weiswald

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Three-dimensional (3D in vitro models have been used in cancer research as an intermediate model between in vitro cancer cell line cultures and in vivo tumor. Spherical cancer models represent major 3D in vitro models that have been described over the past 4 decades. These models have gained popularity in cancer stem cell research using tumorospheres. Thus, it is crucial to define and clarify the different spherical cancer models thus far described. Here, we focus on in vitro multicellular spheres used in cancer research. All these spherelike structures are characterized by their well-rounded shape, the presence of cancer cells, and their capacity to be maintained as free-floating cultures. We propose a rational classification of the four most commonly used spherical cancer models in cancer research based on culture methods for obtaining them and on subsequent differences in sphere biology: the multicellular tumor spheroid model, first described in the early 70s and obtained by culture of cancer cell lines under nonadherent conditions; tumorospheres, a model of cancer stem cell expansion established in a serum-free medium supplemented with growth factors; tissue-derived tumor spheres and organotypic multicellular spheroids, obtained by tumor tissue mechanical dissociation and cutting. In addition, we describe their applications to and interest in cancer research; in particular, we describe their contribution to chemoresistance, radioresistance, tumorigenicity, and invasion and migration studies. Although these models share a common 3D conformation, each displays its own intrinsic properties. Therefore, the most relevant spherical cancer model must be carefully selected, as a function of the study aim and cancer type.

  14. Self-Assembled Nanocarriers Based on Amphiphilic Natural Polymers for Anti- Cancer Drug Delivery Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabra, Sally; Abdelmoneem, Mona; Abdelwakil, Mahmoud; Mabrouk, Moustafa Taha; Anwar, Doaa; Mohamed, Rania; Khattab, Sherine; Bekhit, Adnan; Elkhodairy, Kadria; Freag, May; Elzoghby, Ahmed

    2017-01-01

    Micellization provides numerous merits for the delivery of water insoluble anti-cancer therapeutic agents including a nanosized 'core-shell' drug delivery system. Recently, hydrophobically-modified polysaccharides and proteins are attracting much attention as micelle forming polymers to entrap poorly soluble anti-cancer drugs. By virtue of their small size, the self-assembled micelles can passively target tumor tissues via enhanced permeation and retention effect (EPR). Moreover, the amphiphilic micelles can be exploited for active-targeted drug delivery by attaching specific targeting ligands to the outer micellar hydrophilic surface. Here, we review the conjugation techniques, drug loading methods, physicochemical characteristics of the most important amphiphilic polysaccharides and proteins used as anti-cancer drug delivery systems. Attention focuses on the mechanisms of tumor-targeting and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy of the encapsulated drugs. This review will highlight the remarkable advances of hydrophobized polysaccharide and protein micelles and their potential applications as anti-cancer drug delivery nanosystems. Micellar nanocarriers fabricated from amphiphilic natural polymers hold great promise as vehicles for anti-cancer drugs. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  15. Signaling Network Assessment of Mutations and Copy Number Variations Predict Breast Cancer Subtype-Specific Drug Targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naif Zaman

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Individual cancer cells carry a bewildering number of distinct genomic alterations (e.g., copy number variations and mutations, making it a challenge to uncover genomic-driven mechanisms governing tumorigenesis. Here, we performed exome sequencing on several breast cancer cell lines that represent two subtypes, luminal and basal. We integrated these sequencing data and functional RNAi screening data (for the identification of genes that are essential for cell proliferation and survival onto a human signaling network. Two subtype-specific networks that potentially represent core-signaling mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis were identified. Within both networks, we found that genes were differentially affected in different cell lines; i.e., in some cell lines a gene was identified through RNAi screening, whereas in others it was genomically altered. Interestingly, we found that highly connected network genes could be used to correctly classify breast tumors into subtypes on the basis of genomic alterations. Further, the networks effectively predicted subtype-specific drug targets, which were experimentally validated.

  16. Biological studies of matrix metalloproteinase sensitive drug delivery systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Pia Thermann

    due to severe side effects as a result of drug distribution to healthy tissues. To enhance ecacy of treatment and improve life quality of patients, tumor specific drug delivery strategies, such as liposome encapsulated drugs, which accumulate in tumor tissue, has gained increased attention. Several....... The system exploits the increased MMP-2 activity present in tumor tissue as a site-specific trigger of liposomal activation and controlled drug release after accumulation due to the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Enzymatic activity of MMP-2 results in shedding of a novel PEG coating, consisting...... of a negatively charged lipopeptide-PEG conjugates containing a MMP-2 cleavable peptide, which leads to cationic liposomes with enhanced ability to interact with negatively charged cell membranes. Activation of the liposomal formulation developed here resulted in enhanced association of liposomes with cancer...

  17. Merkel Cell Carcinomas Arising in Autoimmune Disease Affected Patients Treated with Biologic Drugs, Including Anti-TNF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rotondo, John Charles; Bononi, Ilaria; Puozzo, Andrea; Govoni, Marcello; Foschi, Valentina; Lanza, Giovanni; Gafà, Roberta; Gaboriaud, Pauline; Touzé, Françoise Antoine; Selvatici, Rita; Martini, Fernanda; Tognon, Mauro

    2017-07-15

    Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to characterize Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC) arisen in patients affected by autoimmune diseases and treated with biologic drugs. Experimental Design: Serum samples from patients with MCC were analyzed for the presence and titer of antibodies against antigens of the oncogenic Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). IgG antibodies against the viral oncoproteins large T (LT) and small T (ST) antigens and the viral capsid protein-1 were analyzed by indirect ELISA. Viral antigens were recombinant LT/ST and virus-like particles (VLP), respectively. MCPyV DNA sequences were studied using PCR methods in MCC tissues and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses were carried out in MCC tissues to reveal MCPyV LT oncoprotein. Results: MCPyV DNA sequences identified in MCC tissues showed 100% homology with the European MKL-1 strain. PBMCs from patients tested MCPyV-negative. Viral DNA loads in the three MCC tissues were in the 0.1 to 30 copy/cell range. IgG antibodies against LT/ST were detected in patients 1 and 3, whereas patient 2 did not react to the MCPyV LT/ST antigen. Sera from the three patients with MCC contained IgG antibodies against MCPyV VP1. MCC tissues tested MCPyV LT-antigen-positive in IHC assays, with strong LT expression with diffuse nuclear localization. Normal tissues tested MCPyV LT-negative when employed as control. Conclusions: We investigated three new MCCs in patients affected by rheumatologic diseases treated with biologic drugs, including TNF. A possible cause-effect relationship between pharmacologic immunosuppressive treatment and MCC onset is suggested. Indeed, MCC is associated with MCPyV LT oncoprotein activity. Clin Cancer Res; 23(14); 3929-34. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  18. [The Functional Role of Exosomes in Cancer Biology and Their Potential as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets of Cancer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naito, Yutaka; Yoshioka, Yusuke; Ochiya, Takahiro

    2015-06-01

    Intercellular communication plays an important role in the regulation of various cellular events. In particular, cancer cells and the surrounding cells communicate with each other, and this intercellular communication triggers cancer initiation and progression through the secretion of molecules, including growth factors and cytokines. Recent advances in cancer biology have indicated that small membrane vesicles, termed exosomes, also serve as regulatory agents in intercellular communications. Exosomes contain functional cellular components, including proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs), and they transfer these components to recipient cells. This exosome-mediated intercellular communication leads to increased growth, invasion, and metastasis of cancer. Thus, researchers regard exosomes as important cues to understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer biology. Indeed, several lines of evidence have demonstrated that exosomes can explain multiple aspects of cancer biology. In addition, increasing evidence suggests that exosomes and their specific molecules are also attractive for use as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer. Recent reports showed the efficacy of a novel diagnosis by detecting component molecules of cancer-derived exosomes, including miRNAs and membrane proteins. Furthermore, clinical trials that test the application of exosomes for cancer therapy have already been reported. From these points of view, we will summarize experimental data that support the role of exosomes in cancer progression and the potential of exosomes for use in novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cancer.

  19. Adaptation to TKI Treatment Reactivates ERK Signaling in Tyrosine Kinase-Driven Leukemias and Other Malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruner, J Kyle; Ma, Hayley S; Li, Li; Qin, Alice Can Ran; Rudek, Michelle A; Jones, Richard J; Levis, Mark J; Pratz, Keith W; Pratilas, Christine A; Small, Donald

    2017-10-15

    FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have been tested extensively to limited benefit in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We hypothesized that FLT3/internal tandem duplication (ITD) leukemia cells exhibit mechanisms of intrinsic signaling adaptation to TKI treatment that are associated with an incomplete response. Here, we identified reactivation of ERK signaling within hours following treatment of FLT3/ITD AML cells with selective inhibitors of FLT3. When these cells were treated with inhibitors of both FLT3 and MEK in combination, ERK reactivation was abrogated and anti-leukemia effects were more pronounced compared with either drug alone. ERK reactivation was also observed following inhibition of other tyrosine kinase-driven cancer cells, including EGFR-mutant lung cancer, HER2-amplified breast cancer, and BCR-ABL leukemia. These studies reveal an adaptive feedback mechanism in tyrosine kinase-driven cancers associated with reactivation of ERK signaling in response to targeted inhibition. Cancer Res; 77(20); 5554-63. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  20. Molecular biology-based diagnosis and therapy for pancreatic cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Hayato; Ohuchida, Kenoki; Mizumoto, Kazuhiro; Tanaka, Masao

    2011-01-01

    Mainly described are author's investigations of the title subject through clinical and basic diagnosis/therapeutic approach. Based on their consideration of carcinogenesis and pathological features of pancreatic cancer (PC), analysis of expression of cancer-related genes in clinically available samples like pancreatic juice and cells biopsied can result in attaining their purposes. Desmoplasia, a pathological feature of PC, possibly induces resistance to therapy and one of strategies is probably its suppression. Targeting stem cells of the mesenchyma as well as those of PC is also a strategy in future. Authors' studies have revealed that quantitation of hTERT (coding teromerase) mRNA levels in PC cells micro-dissected from cytological specimens is an accurate molecular biological diagnostic method applicable clinically. Other cancer-related genes are also useful for the diagnosis and mucin (MUC) family genes are shown to be typical ones for differentiating the precancerous PC, PC and chronic pancreatisis. Efficacy of standard gemcitabine chemotherapy can be individualized with molecular markers concerned to metabolism of the drug like dCK. Radiotherapy/radio-chemotherapy are not so satisfactory for PC treatment now. Authors have found elevated MMP-2 expression and HGF/c-Met signal activation in irradiated PC cells, which can increase the invasive capability; and stimulation of phosphorylation and activation of c-Met/MARK in co-culture of irradiated PC cells with messenchymal cells from PC, which possibly leads to progression of malignancy of PC through their interaction, of which suppression, therefore, can be a new approach to increase the efficacy of radiotherapy. Authors are making effort to introducing adenovirus therapy in clinic; exempli gratia (e.g.), the virus carrying wild type p53, a cancer-suppressive gene, induces apoptosis of PC cells often having its mutated gene. (T.T.)

  1. Cancer drugs inhibit morphogenesis in the human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madhushree M Routh

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Candida infections are very common in cancer patients and it is a common practice to prescribe antifungal antibiotics along with anticancer drugs. Yeast to hyphal form switching is considered to be important in invasive candidiasis. Targeting morphogenetic switching may be useful against invasive candidiasis. In this study, we report the antimorphogenetic properties of thirty cancer drugs.

  2. Molecular biology of the lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Panov, S.Z.

    2005-01-01

    Background. Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases and leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The advances in molecular biology and genetics, including the modern microarray technology and rapid sequencing techniques, have enabled a remarkable progress into elucidating the lung cancer ethiopathogenesis. Numerous studies suggest that more than 20 different genetic and epigenetic alterations are accumulating during the pathogenesis of clinically evident pulmonary cancers as a clonal, multistep process. Thus far, the most investigated alterations are the inactivational mutations and losses of tumour suppressor genes and the overexpression of growth-promoting oncogenes. More recently, the acquired epigenetic inactivation of tumour suppressor genes by promoter hypermethylation has been recognized. The early clonal genetic abnormalities that occur in preneoplastic bronchial epithelium damaged by smoking or other carcinogenes are being identified. The molecular distinctions between small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as between tumors with different clinical outcomes have been described. These investigations lead to the h allmarks of lung cancer . Conclusions. It is realistic to expect that the molecular and cell culture-based investigations will lead to discoveries of new clinical applications with the potential to provide new avenues for early diagnosis, risk assessment, prevention, and most important, new more effective treatment approaches for the lung cancer patients. (author)

  3. MicroRNA functional network in pancreatic cancer: From biology to ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    [Wang J and Sen S 2011 MicroRNA functional network in pancreatic cancer: From biology to biomarkers of disease. ... growth factor type I receptor; INSR, insulin receptor; IPA, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis; IPMN, ..... Prostate cancer signalling.

  4. Targeted femtosecond laser driven drug delivery within HIV-1 infected cells: In-vitro studies [conference paper

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Maphanga, Charles

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available of SPIE 10062, Optical Interactions with Tissue and Cells XXVIIISan Francisco, California, USA, 26 January - 03 February 2017 Targeted femtosecond laser driven drug delivery within HIV-1 infected cells: In-vitro studies Charles Maphanga 1, 2...

  5. Repurposing of bisphosphonates for the prevention and therapy of nonsmall cell lung and breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stachnik, Agnes; Yuen, Tony; Iqbal, Jameel; Sgobba, Miriam; Gupta, Yogesh; Lu, Ping; Colaianni, Graziana; Ji, Yaoting; Zhu, Ling-Ling; Kim, Se-Min; Li, Jianhua; Liu, Peng; Izadmehr, Sudeh; Sangodkar, Jaya; Scherer, Thomas; Mujtaba, Shiraz; Galsky, Matthew; Gomez, Jorge; Epstein, Solomon; Buettner, Christoph; Bian, Zhuan; Zallone, Alberta; Aggarwal, Aneel K; Haider, Shozeb; New, Maria I; Sun, Li; Narla, Goutham; Zaidi, Mone

    2014-12-16

    A variety of human cancers, including nonsmall cell lung (NSCLC), breast, and colon cancers, are driven by the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family of receptor tyrosine kinases. Having shown that bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used widely for the therapy of osteoporosis and metastatic bone disease, reduce cancer cell viability by targeting HER1, we explored their potential utility in the prevention and therapy of HER-driven cancers. We show that bisphosphonates inhibit colony formation by HER1(ΔE746-A750)-driven HCC827 NSCLCs and HER1(wt)-expressing MB231 triple negative breast cancers, but not by HER(low)-SW620 colon cancers. In parallel, oral gavage with bisphosphonates of mice xenografted with HCC827 or MB231 cells led to a significant reduction in tumor volume in both treatment and prevention protocols. This result was not seen with mice harboring HER(low) SW620 xenografts. We next explored whether bisphosphonates can serve as adjunctive therapies to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), namely gefitinib and erlotinib, and whether the drugs can target TKI-resistant NSCLCs. In silico docking, together with molecular dynamics and anisotropic network modeling, showed that bisphosphonates bind to TKIs within the HER1 kinase domain. As predicted from this combinatorial binding, bisphosphonates enhanced the effects of TKIs in reducing cell viability and driving tumor regression in mice. Impressively, the drugs also overcame erlotinib resistance acquired through the gatekeeper mutation T790M, thus offering an option for TKI-resistant NSCLCs. We suggest that bisphosphonates can potentially be repurposed for the prevention and adjunctive therapy of HER1-driven cancers.

  6. Breast cancer drugs dampen vascular functions by interfering with nitric oxide signaling in endothelium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gajalakshmi, Palanivel; Priya, Mani Krishna; Pradeep, Thangaraj; Behera, Jyotirmaya; Muthumani, Kandasamy; Madhuwanti, Srinivasan; Saran, Uttara; Chatterjee, Suvro

    2013-01-01

    Widely used chemotherapeutic breast cancer drugs such as Tamoxifen citrate (TC), Capecitabine (CP) and Epirubicin (EP) are known to cause various cardiovascular side-effects among long term cancer survivors. Vascular modulation warrants nitric oxide (NO) signal transduction, which targets the vascular endothelium. We hypothesize that TC, CP and EP interference with the nitric oxide downstream signaling specifically, could lead to cardiovascular dysfunctions. The results demonstrate that while all three drugs attenuate NO and cyclic guanosine mono-phosphate (cGMP) production in endothelial cells, they caused elevated levels of NO in the plasma and RBC. However, PBMC and platelets did not show any significant changes under treatment. This implies that the drug effects are specific to the endothelium. Altered eNOS and phosphorylated eNOS (Ser-1177) localization patterns in endothelial cells were observed following drug treatments. Similarly, the expression of phosphorylated eNOS (Ser-1177) protein was decreased under the treatment of drugs. Altered actin polymerization was also observed following drug treatment, while addition of SpNO and 8Br-cGMP reversed this effect. Incubation with the drugs decreased endothelial cell migration whereas addition of YC-1, SC and 8Br-cGMP recovered the effect. Additionally molecular docking studies showed that all three drugs exhibited a strong binding affinity with the catalytic domain of human sGC. In conclusion, results indicate that TC, CP and EP cause endothelial dysfunctions via the NO–sGC–cGMP pathway and these effects could be recovered using pharmaceutical agonists of NO signaling pathway. Further, the study proposes a combination therapy of chemotherapeutic drugs and cGMP analogs, which would confer protection against chemotherapy mediated vascular dysfunctions in cancer patients. - Highlights: • NO production is reduced in endothelial cells under breast cancer drug treatment. • Cellular cGMP level is decreased under

  7. Breast cancer drugs dampen vascular functions by interfering with nitric oxide signaling in endothelium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gajalakshmi, Palanivel; Priya, Mani Krishna; Pradeep, Thangaraj; Behera, Jyotirmaya; Muthumani, Kandasamy; Madhuwanti, Srinivasan; Saran, Uttara; Chatterjee, Suvro, E-mail: soovro@yahoo.ca

    2013-06-01

    Widely used chemotherapeutic breast cancer drugs such as Tamoxifen citrate (TC), Capecitabine (CP) and Epirubicin (EP) are known to cause various cardiovascular side-effects among long term cancer survivors. Vascular modulation warrants nitric oxide (NO) signal transduction, which targets the vascular endothelium. We hypothesize that TC, CP and EP interference with the nitric oxide downstream signaling specifically, could lead to cardiovascular dysfunctions. The results demonstrate that while all three drugs attenuate NO and cyclic guanosine mono-phosphate (cGMP) production in endothelial cells, they caused elevated levels of NO in the plasma and RBC. However, PBMC and platelets did not show any significant changes under treatment. This implies that the drug effects are specific to the endothelium. Altered eNOS and phosphorylated eNOS (Ser-1177) localization patterns in endothelial cells were observed following drug treatments. Similarly, the expression of phosphorylated eNOS (Ser-1177) protein was decreased under the treatment of drugs. Altered actin polymerization was also observed following drug treatment, while addition of SpNO and 8Br-cGMP reversed this effect. Incubation with the drugs decreased endothelial cell migration whereas addition of YC-1, SC and 8Br-cGMP recovered the effect. Additionally molecular docking studies showed that all three drugs exhibited a strong binding affinity with the catalytic domain of human sGC. In conclusion, results indicate that TC, CP and EP cause endothelial dysfunctions via the NO–sGC–cGMP pathway and these effects could be recovered using pharmaceutical agonists of NO signaling pathway. Further, the study proposes a combination therapy of chemotherapeutic drugs and cGMP analogs, which would confer protection against chemotherapy mediated vascular dysfunctions in cancer patients. - Highlights: • NO production is reduced in endothelial cells under breast cancer drug treatment. • Cellular cGMP level is decreased under

  8. Semi-supervised drug-protein interaction prediction from heterogeneous biological spaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Zheng; Wu, Ling-Yun; Zhou, Xiaobo; Wong, Stephen T C

    2010-09-13

    Predicting drug-protein interactions from heterogeneous biological data sources is a key step for in silico drug discovery. The difficulty of this prediction task lies in the rarity of known drug-protein interactions and myriad unknown interactions to be predicted. To meet this challenge, a manifold regularization semi-supervised learning method is presented to tackle this issue by using labeled and unlabeled information which often generates better results than using the labeled data alone. Furthermore, our semi-supervised learning method integrates known drug-protein interaction network information as well as chemical structure and genomic sequence data. Using the proposed method, we predicted certain drug-protein interactions on the enzyme, ion channel, GPCRs, and nuclear receptor data sets. Some of them are confirmed by the latest publicly available drug targets databases such as KEGG. We report encouraging results of using our method for drug-protein interaction network reconstruction which may shed light on the molecular interaction inference and new uses of marketed drugs.

  9. A global comparison of the cost of patented cancer drugs in relation to global differences in wealth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Daniel A.; Clark, Jonathon; Tu, Yifan; Zhang, Jie; Fang, Fenqi; Goldstein, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Introduction There are major differences in cancer drug prices around the world. However, the patterns of affordability of these drugs are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to compare patterns of affordability of cancer drugs in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results Cancer drug prices are highest in the United States. Cancer drugs are the least affordable in India by a large margin. Despite lower prices than in the USA, cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Materials and Methods We obtained the prices of a basket of cancer drugs in all 7 countries, and converted the prices to US$ using both foreign exchange rates and purchasing power parity. We assessed international differences in wealth by collecting values for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in addition to average salaries. We compared patterns of affordability of cancer drugs by dividing the drug prices by the markers of wealth. Conclusions Cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Differential pricing may be an acceptable policy to ensure global affordability and access to highly active anti-cancer therapies. PMID:29069727

  10. Data-intensive drug development in the information age: applications of Systems Biology/Pharmacology/Toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiyosawa, Naoki; Manabe, Sunao

    2016-01-01

    Pharmaceutical companies continuously face challenges to deliver new drugs with true medical value. R&D productivity of drug development projects depends on 1) the value of the drug concept and 2) data and in-depth knowledge that are used rationally to evaluate the drug concept's validity. A model-based data-intensive drug development approach is a key competitive factor used by innovative pharmaceutical companies to reduce information bias and rationally demonstrate the value of drug concepts. Owing to the accumulation of publicly available biomedical information, our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases has developed considerably; it is the basis for identifying the right drug target and creating a drug concept with true medical value. Our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of disease animal models can also be improved; it can thus support rational extrapolation of animal experiment results to clinical settings. The Systems Biology approach, which leverages publicly available transcriptome data, is useful for these purposes. Furthermore, applying Systems Pharmacology enables dynamic simulation of drug responses, from which key research questions to be addressed in the subsequent studies can be adequately informed. Application of Systems Biology/Pharmacology to toxicology research, namely Systems Toxicology, should considerably improve the predictability of drug-induced toxicities in clinical situations that are difficult to predict from conventional preclinical toxicology studies. Systems Biology/Pharmacology/Toxicology models can be continuously improved using iterative learn-confirm processes throughout preclinical and clinical drug discovery and development processes. Successful implementation of data-intensive drug development approaches requires cultivation of an adequate R&D culture to appreciate this approach.

  11. Sperm-Hybrid Micromotor for Targeted Drug Delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Haifeng; Medina-Sánchez, Mariana; Magdanz, Veronika; Schwarz, Lukas; Hebenstreit, Franziska; Schmidt, Oliver G

    2018-01-23

    A sperm-driven micromotor is presented as a targeted drug delivery system, which is appealing to potentially treat diseases in the female reproductive tract. This system is demonstrated to be an efficient drug delivery vehicle by first loading a motile sperm cell with an anticancer drug (doxorubicin hydrochloride), guiding it magnetically, to an in vitro cultured tumor spheroid, and finally freeing the sperm cell to deliver the drug locally. The sperm release mechanism is designed to liberate the sperm when the biohybrid micromotor hits the tumor walls, allowing it to swim into the tumor and deliver the drug through the sperm-cancer cell membrane fusion. In our experiments, the sperm cells exhibited a high drug encapsulation capability and drug carrying stability, conveniently minimizing  toxic side effects and unwanted drug accumulation in healthy tissues. Overall, sperm cells are excellent candidates to operate in physiological environments, as they neither express pathogenic proteins nor proliferate to form undesirable colonies, unlike other cells or microorganisms. This sperm-hybrid micromotor is a biocompatible platform with potential application in gynecological healthcare, treating or detecting cancer or other diseases in the female reproductive system.

  12. Drug-resistant colon cancer cells produce high carcinoembryonic antigen and might not be cancer-initiating cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hsin-chung; Ling, Qing-Dong; Yu, Wan-Chun; Hung, Chunh-Ming; Kao, Ta-Chun; Huang, Yi-Wei; Higuchi, Akon

    2013-01-01

    Purpose We evaluated the higher levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) secreted by the LoVo human colon carcinoma cells in a medium containing anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells were analyzed by subcutaneously xenotransplanting them into mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the drug-resistant cells isolated in this study were cancer-initiating cells, known also as cancer stem cells (CSCs). Methods The production of CEA was investigated in LoVo cells that were cultured with 0–10 mM of anticancer drugs, and we evaluated the increase in CEA production by the LoVo cells that were stimulated by anticancer drug treatment. The expression of several CSC markers in LoVo cells treated with anticancer drugs was also evaluated. Following anticancer drug treatment, LoVo cells were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of severe combined immunodeficiency mice in order to evaluate the CSC fraction. Results Production of CEA by LoVo cells was stimulated by the addition of anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells expressed lower levels of CSC markers, and LoVo cells treated with any of the anticancer drugs tested did not generate tumors within 8 weeks from when the cells were injected subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. These results suggest that the drug-resistant LoVo cells have a smaller population of CSCs than the untreated LoVo cells. Conclusion Production of CEA by LoVo cells can be stimulated by the addition of anticancer drugs. The drug-resistant subpopulation of LoVo colon cancer cells could stimulate the production of CEA, but these cells did not act as CSCs in in vivo tumor generation experiments. PMID:23818760

  13. Identifying therapeutic targets in gastric cancer: the current status and future direction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Beiqin; Xie, Jingwu

    2016-01-01

    Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Our basic understanding of gastric cancer biology falls behind that of many other cancer types. Current standard treatment options for gastric cancer have not changed for the last 20 years. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish novel strategies to treat this deadly cancer. Successful clinical trials with Gleevec in CML and gastrointestinal stromal tumors have set up an example for targeted therapy of cancer. In this review, we will summarize major progress in classification, therapeutic options of gastric cancer. We will also discuss molecular mechanisms for drug resistance in gastric cancer. In addition, we will attempt to propose potential future directions in gastric cancer biology and drug targets. PMID:26373844

  14. Clinical and Biological Features of Interval Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Mi Lee

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Interval colorectal cancer (I-CRC is defined as a CRC diagnosed within 60 months after a negative colonoscopy, taking into account that 5 years is the “mean sojourn time.” It is important to prevent the development of interval cancer. The development of interval colon cancer is associated with female sex, old age, family history of CRC, comorbidities, diverticulosis, and the skill of the endoscopist. During carcinogenesis, sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps share many genomic and colonic site characteristics with I-CRCs. The clinical and biological features of I-CRC should be elucidated to prevent the development of interval colon cancer.

  15. Molecular biology of Homo sapiens: Abstracts of papers presented at the 51st Cold Spring Harbor symposium on quantitative biology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watson, J.D.; Siniscalco, M.

    1986-01-01

    This volume contains abstracts of papers presented at the 51st Cold Springs Harbor Symposium on Quantitative Biology. The topic for this meeting was the ''Molecular Biology of Homo sapiens.'' Sessions were entitled Human Gene Map, Human Cancer Genes, Genetic Diagnosis, Human Evolution, Drugs Made Off Human Genes, Receptors, and Gene Therapy. (DT)

  16. Drug diffusion and biological responses of arteries using a drug-eluting stent with nonuniform coating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saito N

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Noboru Saito, Yuhei Mori, Sayaka Uchiyama Terumo Corporation R&D Center, Inokuchi, Nakai-machi, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa, Japan Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a nonuniform coating, abluminal-gradient coating (AGC, which leaves the abluminal surface of the curves and links parts of the stent free from the drug coating, on the diffusion direction of the drug and the biological responses of the artery to drug-eluting stent (DES by comparing the AGC-sirolimus stent and the conventional full-surface coating (CFC sirolimus stent. The study aimed to verify whether the AGC approach was appropriate for the development of a safer DES, minimizing the risks of stent thrombosis due to delayed endothelialization by the drug and distal embolization due to cracking of the coating layer on the hinge parts of the DES on stent expansion. In the in vitro local drug diffusion study, we used rhodamine B as a model drug, and rhodamine B released from the AGC stent diffused predominantly into the abluminal side of the alginate artery model. Conversely, rhodamine B released from the CFC stent quickly spread to the luminal side of the artery model, where endothelial cell regeneration is required. In the biological responses study, the luminal surface of the iliac artery implanted with the AGC-sirolimus stent in a rabbit iliac artery for 2 weeks was completely covered with endothelial-like cells. On the other hand, the luminal surface of the iliac artery implanted with the CFC-sirolimus stent for 2 weeks only showed partial coverage with endothelial-like cells. While thrombosis was observed in two of the three CFC-sirolimus stents, it was observed in only one of the three AGC-sirolimus stents. Taken together, these findings indicate that the designed nonuniform coating (AGC is an appropriate approach to ensure a safer DES. However, the number of studies is limited and a larger study should be conducted to reach a statistically

  17. Biopharmaceuticals: From peptide to drug

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannappel, Margarete

    2017-08-01

    Biologics are therapeutic proteins or peptides that are produced by means of biological processes within living organisms and cells. They are highly specific molecules and play a crucial role as therapeutics for the treatment of severe and chronic diseases (e.g. cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, autoimmune disorders). The development of new biologics and biologics-based drugs gains more and more importance in the fight against various diseases. A short overview on biotherapeutical drug development is given. Cone snails are a large group of poisonous, predatory sea snails with more than 700 species. They use a very powerful venom which rapidly inactivates and paralyzes their prey. Most bioactive venom components are small peptides (conotoxins, conopeptides) which are precisely directed towards a specific target (e.g. ion channel, receptors). Due to their small size, their precision and speed of action, naturally occurring cone snail venom peptides represent an attractive source for the identification and design of novel biological drug entities. The Jagna cone snail project is an encouraging initiative to map the ecological variety of cone snails around the island of Bohol (Philippines) and to conserve the biological information for potential future application.

  18. MALDI-MS drug analysis in biological samples: opportunities and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steuer, Andrea E; Poetzsch, Michael; Kraemer, Thomas

    2016-09-01

    Drug analysis represents a large field in different disciplines. Plasma is commonly considered to be the biosample of choice for that purpose. However, concentrations often do not represent the levels present within deeper compartments and therefore cannot sufficiently explain efficacy or toxicology of drugs. MALDI-MS in drug analysis is of great interest for high-throughput quantification and particularly spatially resolved tissue imaging. The current perspective article will deal with challenges and opportunities of MALDI-MS drug analysis in different biological samples. A particular focus will be on hair samples. Recent applications were included, reviewed for their instrumental setup and sample preparation and pros and cons as well as future perspectives are critically discussed.

  19. Protein Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Carriers for Cancer Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Warangkana Lohcharoenkal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Nanoparticles have increasingly been used for a variety of applications, most notably for the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. A large number of nanoparticle drug delivery systems have been developed for cancer treatment and various materials have been explored as drug delivery agents to improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety of anticancer drugs. Natural biomolecules such as proteins are an attractive alternative to synthetic polymers which are commonly used in drug formulations because of their safety. In general, protein nanoparticles offer a number of advantages including biocompatibility and biodegradability. They can be prepared under mild conditions without the use of toxic chemicals or organic solvents. Moreover, due to their defined primary structure, protein-based nanoparticles offer various possibilities for surface modifications including covalent attachment of drugs and targeting ligands. In this paper, we review the most significant advancements in protein nanoparticle technology and their use in drug delivery arena. We then examine the various sources of protein materials that have been used successfully for the construction of protein nanoparticles as well as their methods of preparation. Finally, we discuss the applications of protein nanoparticles in cancer therapy.

  20. Protein nanoparticles as drug delivery carriers for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lohcharoenkal, Warangkana; Wang, Liying; Chen, Yi Charlie; Rojanasakul, Yon

    2014-01-01

    Nanoparticles have increasingly been used for a variety of applications, most notably for the delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. A large number of nanoparticle drug delivery systems have been developed for cancer treatment and various materials have been explored as drug delivery agents to improve the therapeutic efficacy and safety of anticancer drugs. Natural biomolecules such as proteins are an attractive alternative to synthetic polymers which are commonly used in drug formulations because of their safety. In general, protein nanoparticles offer a number of advantages including biocompatibility and biodegradability. They can be prepared under mild conditions without the use of toxic chemicals or organic solvents. Moreover, due to their defined primary structure, protein-based nanoparticles offer various possibilities for surface modifications including covalent attachment of drugs and targeting ligands. In this paper, we review the most significant advancements in protein nanoparticle technology and their use in drug delivery arena. We then examine the various sources of protein materials that have been used successfully for the construction of protein nanoparticles as well as their methods of preparation. Finally, we discuss the applications of protein nanoparticles in cancer therapy.

  1. Thymosin β10 expression driven by the human TERT promoter induces ovarian cancer-specific apoptosis through ROS production.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Chae Kim

    Full Text Available Thymosin β(10 (Tβ(10 regulates actin dynamics as a cytoplasm G-actin sequestering protein. Previously, we have shown that Tβ(10 diminishes tumor growth, angiogenesis, and proliferation by disrupting actin and by inhibiting Ras. However, little is known about its mechanism of action and biological function. In the present study, we establish a new gene therapy model using a genetically modified adenovirus, referred to as Ad.TERT.Tβ(10, that can overexpress the Tβ(10 gene in cancer cells. This was accomplished by replacing the native Tβ(10 gene promoter with the human TERT promoter in Ad.TERT.Tβ(10. We investigated the cancer suppression activity of Tβ(10 and found that Ad.TERT.Tβ(10 strikingly induced cancer-specific expression of Tβ(10 as well as apoptosis in a co-culture model of human primary ovarian cancer cells and normal fibroblasts. Additionally, Ad.TERT.Tβ(10 decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS production. These effects were amplified by co-treatment with anticancer drugs, such as paclitaxel and cisplatin. These findings indicate that the rise in ROS production due to actin disruption by Tβ(10 overexpression increases apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cells. Indeed, the cancer-specific overexpression of Tβ(10 by Ad.TERT.Tβ(10 could be a valuable anti-cancer therapeutic for the treatment of ovarian cancer without toxicity to normal cells.

  2. Microarray-based apoptosis gene screening technique in trichostatin A-induced drug-resisted lung cancer A549/CDDP cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ya-jun WANG

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective  To detect the expression profile changes of apoptosis-related genes in trichostatin A (TSA-induced drug-resisted lung cancer cells A549/CDDP by microarray, in order to screen the target genes in TSA treating cisplatin-resisted lung cancer. Methods  A549/CDDP cells were treated by TSA for 24 hours. Total RNA was extracted and reversely transcribed into cDNA. Gene expression levels were detected by the NimbleGen whole genome microarray. Differences of expression profiles between TSA-treated and control group were measured by NimbleScan 2.5 software and GO analysis. Apoptosis and proliferation related genes were screened from the expression changed genes. Results  Compared with the control group, 85 apoptosis-related genes were up-regulated and 43 growth or proliferation related genes were down-regulated in the TSA-treated group. GO analysis showed that the functions of these genes are mainly regulating apoptosis, cell resistance to chem ical stimuli protein, as well as regulating cell growth, proliferation and the biological process of maintaining the cell biological quality. TSA-activated not only the mitochondrial apoptotic pathways, but also the death receptor related apoptosis pathway, and down-regulated the drug resistance related genes BAG3 and ABCC2. Conclusion  TSA may cause the expression changes of apoptotic and proliferation genes in A549/CDDP cells, these genes may play a role in TSA treating cisplatin-resisted lung cancer. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2016.08.07

  3. Killing cancer cells by targeted drug-carrying phage nanomedicines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yacoby Iftach

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Systemic administration of chemotherapeutic agents, in addition to its anti-tumor benefits, results in indiscriminate drug distribution and severe toxicity. This shortcoming may be overcome by targeted drug-carrying platforms that ferry the drug to the tumor site while limiting exposure to non-target tissues and organs. Results We present a new form of targeted anti-cancer therapy in the form of targeted drug-carrying phage nanoparticles. Our approach is based on genetically-modified and chemically manipulated filamentous bacteriophages. The genetic manipulation endows the phages with the ability to display a host-specificity-conferring ligand. The phages are loaded with a large payload of a cytotoxic drug by chemical conjugation. In the presented examples we used anti ErbB2 and anti ERGR antibodies as targeting moieties, the drug hygromycin conjugated to the phages by a covalent amide bond, or the drug doxorubicin conjugated to genetically-engineered cathepsin-B sites on the phage coat. We show that targeting of phage nanomedicines via specific antibodies to receptors on cancer cell membranes results in endocytosis, intracellular degradation, and drug release, resulting in growth inhibition of the target cells in vitro with a potentiation factor of >1000 over the corresponding free drugs. Conclusion The results of the proof-of concept study presented here reveal important features regarding the potential of filamentous phages to serve as drug-delivery platform, on the affect of drug solubility or hydrophobicity on the target specificity of the platform and on the effect of drug release mechanism on the potency of the platform. These results define targeted drug-carrying filamentous phage nanoparticles as a unique type of antibody-drug conjugates.

  4. Killing cancer cells by targeted drug-carrying phage nanomedicines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bar, Hagit; Yacoby, Iftach; Benhar, Itai

    2008-01-01

    Background Systemic administration of chemotherapeutic agents, in addition to its anti-tumor benefits, results in indiscriminate drug distribution and severe toxicity. This shortcoming may be overcome by targeted drug-carrying platforms that ferry the drug to the tumor site while limiting exposure to non-target tissues and organs. Results We present a new form of targeted anti-cancer therapy in the form of targeted drug-carrying phage nanoparticles. Our approach is based on genetically-modified and chemically manipulated filamentous bacteriophages. The genetic manipulation endows the phages with the ability to display a host-specificity-conferring ligand. The phages are loaded with a large payload of a cytotoxic drug by chemical conjugation. In the presented examples we used anti ErbB2 and anti ERGR antibodies as targeting moieties, the drug hygromycin conjugated to the phages by a covalent amide bond, or the drug doxorubicin conjugated to genetically-engineered cathepsin-B sites on the phage coat. We show that targeting of phage nanomedicines via specific antibodies to receptors on cancer cell membranes results in endocytosis, intracellular degradation, and drug release, resulting in growth inhibition of the target cells in vitro with a potentiation factor of >1000 over the corresponding free drugs. Conclusion The results of the proof-of concept study presented here reveal important features regarding the potential of filamentous phages to serve as drug-delivery platform, on the affect of drug solubility or hydrophobicity on the target specificity of the platform and on the effect of drug release mechanism on the potency of the platform. These results define targeted drug-carrying filamentous phage nanoparticles as a unique type of antibody-drug conjugates. PMID:18387177

  5. Genetics of Psoriasis and Pharmacogenetics of Biological Drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocío Prieto-Pérez

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. The causes of psoriasis are unknown, although family and twin studies have shown genetic factors to play a key role in its development. The many genes associated with psoriasis and the immune response include TNFα, IL23, and IL12. Advances in knowledge of the pathogenesis of psoriasis have enabled the development of new drugs that target cytokines (e.g., etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab, which target TNFα, and ustekinumab, which targets the p40 subunit of IL23 and IL12. These drugs have improved the safety and efficacy of treatment in comparison with previous therapies. However, not all patients respond equally to treatment, possibly owing to interindividual genetic variability. In this review, we describe the genes associated with psoriasis and the immune response, the biological drugs used to treat chronic severe plaque psoriasis, new drugs in phase II and III trials, and current knowledge on the implications of pharmacogenomics in predicting response to these treatments.

  6. Synthetic biology in cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarti, Deboki; Wong, Wilson W

    2015-08-01

    The adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells with cancer-targeting receptors has shown tremendous promise for eradicating tumors in clinical trials. This form of cellular immunotherapy presents a unique opportunity to incorporate advanced systems and synthetic biology approaches to create cancer therapeutics with novel functions. We first review the development of synthetic receptors, switches, and circuits to control the location, duration, and strength of T cell activity against tumors. In addition, we discuss the cellular engineering and genome editing of host cells (or the chassis) to improve the efficacy of cell-based cancer therapeutics, and to reduce the time and cost of manufacturing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Biological Evidence for Paradoxical Improvement of Psychiatric Disorder Symptoms by Addictive Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Christian P; Kornhuber, Johannes

    2017-06-01

    Addiction biology has focused on the mechanisms of the positive and negative reinforcing actions of addictive drugs but neglected potential benefits. Two new studies provide the first insights into a neurobiology of psychoactive drug instrumentalization. This may help us design better models for addiction neuroscience and opens a new dimension for the development of personalized pharmacotherapy of drug addiction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Parameters of biological activity in colorectal cancer

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Svobodová, Š.; Topolčan, O.; Holubec jr., L.; Levý, M.; Pecen, Ladislav; Svačina, Š.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 31, č. 1 (2011), s. 373-378 ISSN 0250-7005 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : colorectal cancer * biological activity * prognosis * tumor markers * angiogenetic factors * metalloproteinases * adhesion molecules Subject RIV: FD - Oncology ; Hematology Impact factor: 1.725, year: 2011

  9. Molecular and biological interactions in colorectal cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heer, Pieter de

    2007-01-01

    The current thesis discusses the use of molecular and biological tumor markers to predict clinical outcome. By studying several key processes in the develepment of cancer as regulation of cell motility (non-receptor protein tyrosin adesion kinases, FAK, Src and paxillin, Apoptosis (caspase-3

  10. Cellular Morphology-Mediated Proliferation and Drug Sensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells

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    Ryota Domura

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The interpretation of the local microenvironment of the extracellular matrix for malignant tumor cells is in intimate relation with metastatic spread of cancer cells involving the associated issues of cellular proliferation and drug responsiveness. This study was aimed to assess the combination of both surface topographies (fiber alignments and different stiffness of the polymeric substrates (poly(l-lactic acid and poly(ε-caprolactone, PLLA and PCL, respectively as well as collagen substrates (coat and gel to elucidate the effect of the cellular morphology on cellular proliferation and drug sensitivities of two different types of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. The morphological spreading parameter (nucleus/cytoplasm area ratio induced by the anthropogenic substrates has correlated intimately with the cellular proliferation and the drug sensitivity the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 of cancer cells. This study demonstrated the promising results of the parameter for the evaluation of cancer cell malignancy.

  11. Cellular Morphology-Mediated Proliferation and Drug Sensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domura, Ryota; Sasaki, Rie; Ishikawa, Yuma; Okamoto, Masami

    2017-06-06

    The interpretation of the local microenvironment of the extracellular matrix for malignant tumor cells is in intimate relation with metastatic spread of cancer cells involving the associated issues of cellular proliferation and drug responsiveness. This study was aimed to assess the combination of both surface topographies (fiber alignments) and different stiffness of the polymeric substrates (poly(l-lactic acid) and poly(ε-caprolactone), PLLA and PCL, respectively) as well as collagen substrates (coat and gel) to elucidate the effect of the cellular morphology on cellular proliferation and drug sensitivities of two different types of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7). The morphological spreading parameter (nucleus/cytoplasm area ratio) induced by the anthropogenic substrates has correlated intimately with the cellular proliferation and the drug sensitivity the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of cancer cells. This study demonstrated the promising results of the parameter for the evaluation of cancer cell malignancy.

  12. Cancer drug addiction is relayed by an ERK2-dependent phenotype switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Xiangjun; Kuilman, Thomas; Shahrabi, Aida; Boshuizen, Julia; Kemper, Kristel; Song, Ji-Ying; Niessen, Hans W M; Rozeman, Elisa A; Geukes Foppen, Marnix H; Blank, Christian U; Peeper, Daniel S

    2017-10-12

    Observations from cultured cells, animal models and patients raise the possibility that the dependency of tumours on the therapeutic drugs to which they have acquired resistance represents a vulnerability with potential applications in cancer treatment. However, for this drug addiction trait to become of clinical interest, we must first define the mechanism that underlies it. We performed an unbiased CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen on melanoma cells that were both resistant and addicted to inhibition of the serine/threonine-protein kinase BRAF, in order to functionally mine their genome for 'addiction genes'. Here we describe a signalling pathway comprising ERK2 kinase and JUNB and FRA1 transcription factors, disruption of which allowed addicted tumour cells to survive on treatment discontinuation. This occurred in both cultured cells and mice and was irrespective of the acquired drug resistance mechanism. In melanoma and lung cancer cells, death induced by drug withdrawal was preceded by a specific ERK2-dependent phenotype switch, alongside transcriptional reprogramming reminiscent of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In melanoma cells, this reprogramming caused the shutdown of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), a lineage survival oncoprotein; restoring this protein reversed phenotype switching and prevented the lethality associated with drug addiction. In patients with melanoma that had progressed during treatment with a BRAF inhibitor, treatment cessation was followed by increased expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL, which is associated with the phenotype switch. Drug discontinuation synergized with the melanoma chemotherapeutic agent dacarbazine by further suppressing MITF and its prosurvival target, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), and by inducing DNA damage in cancer cells. Our results uncover a pathway that underpins drug addiction in cancer cells, which may help to guide the use of alternating therapeutic strategies for enhanced

  13. Epigenetic Regulation in Prostate Cancer Progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruggero, Katia; Farran-Matas, Sonia; Martinez-Tebar, Adrian; Aytes, Alvaro

    2018-01-01

    An important number of newly identified molecular alterations in prostate cancer affect gene encoding master regulators of chromatin biology epigenetic regulation. This review will provide an updated view of the key epigenetic mechanisms underlying prostate cancer progression, therapy resistance, and potential actionable mechanisms and biomarkers. Key players in chromatin biology and epigenetic master regulators has been recently described to be crucially altered in metastatic CRPC and tumors that progress to AR independency. As such, epigenetic dysregulation represents a driving mechanism in the reprograming of prostate cancer cells as they lose AR-imposed identity. Chromatin integrity and accessibility for transcriptional regulation are key features altered in cancer progression, and particularly relevant in nuclear hormone receptor-driven tumors like prostate cancer. Understanding how chromatin remodeling dictates prostate development and how its deregulation contributes to prostate cancer onset and progression may improve risk stratification and treatment selection for prostate cancer patients.

  14. Selenium nanoparticles: potential in cancer gene and drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maiyo, Fiona; Singh, Moganavelli

    2017-05-01

    In recent decades, colloidal selenium nanoparticles have emerged as exceptional selenium species with reported chemopreventative and therapeutic properties. This has sparked widespread interest in their use as a carrier of therapeutic agents with results displaying synergistic effects of selenium with its therapeutic cargo and improved anticancer activity. Functionalization remains a critical step in selenium nanoparticles' development for application in gene or drug delivery. In this review, we highlight recent developments in the synthesis and functionalization strategies of selenium nanoparticles used in cancer drug and gene delivery systems. We also provide an update of recent preclinical studies utilizing selenium nanoparticles in cancer therapeutics.

  15. Repurposing High-Throughput Image Assays Enables Biological Activity Prediction for Drug Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simm, Jaak; Klambauer, Günter; Arany, Adam; Steijaert, Marvin; Wegner, Jörg Kurt; Gustin, Emmanuel; Chupakhin, Vladimir; Chong, Yolanda T; Vialard, Jorge; Buijnsters, Peter; Velter, Ingrid; Vapirev, Alexander; Singh, Shantanu; Carpenter, Anne E; Wuyts, Roel; Hochreiter, Sepp; Moreau, Yves; Ceulemans, Hugo

    2018-05-17

    In both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, large-scale assays for drug discovery are expensive and often impractical, particularly for the increasingly important physiologically relevant model systems that require primary cells, organoids, whole organisms, or expensive or rare reagents. We hypothesized that data from a single high-throughput imaging assay can be repurposed to predict the biological activity of compounds in other assays, even those targeting alternate pathways or biological processes. Indeed, quantitative information extracted from a three-channel microscopy-based screen for glucocorticoid receptor translocation was able to predict assay-specific biological activity in two ongoing drug discovery projects. In these projects, repurposing increased hit rates by 50- to 250-fold over that of the initial project assays while increasing the chemical structure diversity of the hits. Our results suggest that data from high-content screens are a rich source of information that can be used to predict and replace customized biological assays. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stenvang, Jan; Kümler, Iben; Nygård, Sune Boris

    2013-01-01

    -standard chemotherapeutic drug will be relatively low in such a patient cohort it is a pre-requisite that such testing is based on predictive biomarkers. This review describes our strategy of biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy, taking the repurposing of topoisomerase I (Top1...

  17. Biologic Drugs: A New Target Therapy in COPD?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousuf, Ahmed; Brightling, Christopher E

    2018-04-23

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Current diagnostic criteria based on the presence of fixed airflow obstruction and symptoms do not integrate the complex pathological changes occurring within the lung and they do not define different airway inflammatory patterns. The current management of COPD is based on 'one size fits all' approach and does not take the importance of heterogeneity in COPD population into account. The available treatments aim to alleviate symptoms and reduce exacerbation frequency but do not alter the course of the disease. Recent advances in molecular biology have furthered our understanding of inflammatory pathways in pathogenesis of COPD and have led to development of targeted therapies (biologics and small molecules) based on predefined biomarkers. Herein we shall review the trials of biologics in COPD and potential future drug developments in the field.

  18. BCL9L Dysfunction Impairs Caspase-2 Expression Permitting Aneuploidy Tolerance in Colorectal Cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    López-García, Carlos; Sansregret, Laurent; Domingo, Enric

    2016-01-01

    Chromosomal instability (CIN) contributes to cancer evolution, intratumor heterogeneity, and drug resistance. CIN is driven by chromosome segregation errors and a tolerance phenotype that permits the propagation of aneuploid genomes. Through genomic analysis of colorectal cancers and cell lines, ...

  19. Two Dimensional Drug Diffusion Between Nanoparticles and Fractal Tumors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samioti, S. E.; Karamanos, K.; Tsiantis, A.; Papathanasiou, A.; Sarris, I.

    2017-11-01

    Drug delivery methods based on nanoparticles are some of the most promising medical applications in nanotechnology to treat cancer. It is observed that drug released by nanoparticles to the cancer tumors may be driven by diffusion. A fractal tumor boundary of triangular Von Koch shape is considered here and the diffusion mechanism is studied for different drug concentrations and increased fractality. A high order Finite Elements method based on the Fenics library is incorporated in fine meshes to fully resolve these irregular boundaries. Drug concentration, its transfer rates and entropy production are calculated in an up to forth order fractal iteration boundaries. We observed that diffusion rate diminishes for successive prefractal generations. Also, the entropy production around the system changes greatly as the order of the fractal curve increases. Results indicate with precision where the active sites are, in which most of the diffusion takes place and thus drug arrives to the tumor.

  20. Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Drug-Conjugated Silicon Quantum Dots: Their Cytotoxicity and Biological Effect

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kenji Yamamoto

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs have great potential for biomedical applications, including their use as biological fluorescent markers and carriers for drug delivery systems. Biologically inert Si-QDs are less toxic than conventional cadmium-based QDs, and can modify the surface of the Si-QD with covalent bond. We synthesized water-soluble alminoprofen-conjugated Si-QDs (Ap-Si. Alminoprofen is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID used as an analgesic for rheumatism. Our results showed that the “silicon drug” is less toxic than the control Si-QD and the original drug. These phenomena indicate that the condensed surface integration of ligand/receptor-type drugs might reduce the adverse interaction between the cells and drug molecules. In addition, the medicinal effect of the Si-QDs (i.e., the inhibition of COX-2 enzyme was maintained compared to that of the original drug. The same drug effect is related to the integration ratio of original drugs, which might control the binding interaction between COX-2 and the silicon drug. We conclude that drug conjugation with biocompatible Si-QDs is a potential method for functional pharmaceutical drug development.

  1. The relationship between biological marker factors and the bone metastasis in breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Lingjing; Liang Changhua; Li Xinhui; Deng Haoyu; Hu Shuo; Duan Huaxin

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the relationship between biological marker factors and the bone metastasis in breast cancer to instruct the follow-up of breast cancer patients. Methods: One hundred and fifteen breast cancer patients proved by histological examination after surgery were involved. To detect nm23 protein, C-erbB-2 protein, estrogen receptor (ER), progestogen receptor (PR) expression of their excised breast cancer tissue, immunohistochemical procedures were used. The relationship between biological marker factors and the bone metastasis in breast cancer was analyzed. All patients were examined by radioisotope whole body bone imaging during the follow-up. Results: The results were that the clinical staging, the status of axillary lymph nodes, the expression of nm23 protein, C-erbB-2 protein, ER were related to the bone metastasis in breast cancer, while the age, the mode of operation and the expression of PR were not. Conclusion: Colligating analysis of clinical, pathological status and biological marker factors is very important for the prediction of the prognosis and the direction of the follow-up in breast cancer patients after surgery

  2. Nanomedicine-mediated cancer stem cell therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Song; Xia, Jin-Xing; Wang, Jun

    2016-01-01

    Circumstantial evidence suggests that most tumours are heterogeneous and contain a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that exhibit distinctive self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation capabilities, which are believed to play a crucial role in tumour progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis in multiple malignancies. Given that the existence of CSCs is a primary obstacle to cancer therapy, a tremendous amount of effort has been put into the development of anti-CSC strategies, and several potential approaches to kill therapeutically-resistant CSCs have been explored, including inhibiting ATP-binding cassette transporters, blocking essential signalling pathways involved in self-renewal and survival of CSCs, targeting CSCs surface markers and destroying the tumour microenvironment. Meanwhile, an increasing number of therapeutic agents (e.g. small molecule drugs, nucleic acids and antibodies) to selectively target CSCs have been screened or proposed in recent years. Drug delivery technology-based approaches hold great potential for tackling the limitations impeding clinical applications of CSC-specific agents, such as poor water solubility, short circulation time and inconsistent stability. Properly designed nanocarrier-based therapeutic agents (or nanomedicines) offer new possibilities of penetrating CSC niches and significantly increasing therapeutic drug accumulation in CSCs, which are difficult for free drug counterparts. In addition, intelligent nanomedicine holds great promise to overcome pump-mediated multidrug resistance which is driven by ATP and to decrease detrimental effects on normal somatic stem cells. In this review, we summarise the distinctive biological processes related to CSCs to highlight strategies against inherently drug-resistant CSCs. We then focus on some representative examples that give a glimpse into state-of-the-art nanomedicine approaches developed for CSCs elimination. A perspective on innovative therapeutic

  3. Fluorine-labeled Dasatinib Nanoformulations as Targeted Molecular Imaging Probes in a PDGFB-driven Murine Glioblastoma Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miriam Benezra

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Dasatinib, a new-generation Src and platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR inhibitor, is currently under evaluation in high-grade glioma clinical trials. To achieve optimum physicochemical and/or biologic properties, alternative drug delivery vehicles may be needed. We used a novel fluorinated dasatinib derivative (F-SKI249380, in combination with nanocarrier vehicles and metabolic imaging tools (microPET to evaluate drug delivery and uptake in a platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB-driven genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM of high-grade glioma. We assessed dasatinib survival benefit on the basis of measured tumor volumes. Using brain tumor cells derived from PDGFB-driven gliomas, dose-dependent uptake and time-dependent inhibitory effects of F-SKI249380 on biologic activity were investigated and compared with the parent drug. PDGFR receptor status and tumor-specific targeting were non-invasively evaluated in vivo using 18F-SKI249380 and 18F-SKI249380-containing micellar and liposomal nanoformulations. A statistically significant survival benefit was found using dasatinib (95 mg/kg versus saline vehicle (P < .001 in tumor volume-matched GEMM pairs. Competitive binding and treatment assays revealed comparable biologic properties for F-SKI249380 and the parent drug. In vivo, Significantly higher tumor uptake was observed for 18F-SKI249380-containing micelle formulations [4.9 percentage of the injected dose per gram tissue (%ID/g; P = .002] compared to control values (1.6%ID/g. Saturation studies using excess cold dasatinib showed marked reduction of tumor uptake values to levels in normal brain (1.5%ID/g, consistent with in vivo binding specificity. Using 18F-SKI249380-containing micelles as radiotracers to estimate therapeutic dosing requirements, we calculated intratumoral drug concentrations (24–60 nM that were comparable to in vitro 50% inhibitory concentration values. 18F-SKI249380 is a PDGFR-selective tracer, which

  4. Evidence on the cost of breast cancer drugs is required for rational decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berghuis, Anne Margreet Sofie; Koffijberg, Hendrik; Terstappen, Leonardus Wendelinus Mathias Marie; Sleijfer, Stefan; IJzerman, Maarten Joost

    2018-01-01

    For rational decision making, assessing the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of new drugs and comparing the costs of drugs already on the market is required. In addition to value frameworks, such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology Value Framework and the European Society of Medical Oncology-Magnitude of Clinical benefit Scale, this also requires a transparent overview of actual drug prices. While list prices are available, evidence on treatment cost is not. This paper aims to synthesise evidence on the reimbursement and costs of high-cost breast cancer drugs in The Netherlands (NL). A literature review was performed to identify currently reimbursed breast cancer drugs in the NL. Treatment costs were determined by multiplying list prices with the average length of treatment and dosing schedule. Comparing list prices to the estimated treatment cost resulted in substantial differences in the ranking of costliness of the drugs. The average mean treatment length was unknown for 11/31 breast cancer drugs (26.2%). The differences in the 15 highest-cost drugs were largest for Bevacizumab, Lapatinib and everolimus, with list prices of €541, €158, €1,168 and estimated treatment cost of €174,400, €18,682 and €31,207, respectively. The lowest-cost (patented) targeted drug is €1,818 more expensive than the highest-cost (off-patent) generic drug according to the estimated drug treatment cost. A lack of evidence on the reimbursement and cost of high-cost breast cancer drugs complicates rapid and transparent evidence synthesis, necessary to focus strategies aiming to limit the increasing healthcare costs. Interestingly, the findings show that off-patent generics (such as paclitaxel or doxorubicin), although substantially cheaper than patented drugs, are still relatively costly. Extending standardisation and increasing European and national regulations on presenting information on costs per cancer drug is highly recommended.

  5. Mig6 Puts the Brakes on Mutant EGFR-Driven Lung Cancer | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. These cancers are often induced by mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), resulting in constitutive activation of the protein’s tyrosine kinase domain. Lung cancers expressing these EGFR mutants are initially sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as erlotinib, but often become resistant by developing compensatory mutations in EGFR or other growth-promoting pathways. To better understand how mutant EGFR initiates and maintains tumor growth in the hopes of identifying novel targets for drug development, Udayan Guha, M.D., Ph.D., of CCR’s Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Oncology Branch, and his colleagues examined the landscape of proteins phosphorylated in EGFR wild type and mutant cells. One protein hyper-phosphorylated in mutant EGFR cells was Mig6, a putative tumor suppressor.

  6. Challenges of drug resistance in the management of pancreatic cancer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Sheikh, Rizwan

    2012-02-01

    The current treatment of choice for metastatic pancreatic cancer involves single-agent gemcitabine or a combination of gemcitabine with capecitabine or erlotinib (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor). Only 25–30% of patients respond to this treatment and patients who do respond initially ultimately exhibit disease progression. Median survival for pancreatic cancer patients has reached a plateau due to inherent and acquired resistance to these agents. Key molecular factors implicated in this resistance include: deficiencies in drug uptake, alteration of drug targets, activation of DNA repair pathways, resistance to apoptosis and the contribution of the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, for newer agents including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, overexpression of signaling proteins, mutations in kinase domains, activation of alternative pathways, mutations of genes downstream of the target and\\/or amplification of the target represent key challenges for treatment efficacy. Here we will review the contribution of known mechanisms and markers of resistance to key pancreatic cancer drug treatments.

  7. Membrane microparticles mediate transfer of P-glycoprotein to drug sensitive cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bebawy, M; Combes, V; Lee, E; Jaiswal, R; Gong, J; Bonhoure, A; Grau, G E R

    2009-09-01

    Multidrug resistance (MDR), a significant impediment to the successful treatment of cancer clinically, has been attributed to the overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a plasma membrane multidrug efflux transporter. P-gp maintains sublethal intracellular drug concentrations by virtue of its drug efflux capacity. The cellular regulation of P-gp expression is currently known to occur at either pre- or post-transcriptional levels. In this study, we identify a 'non-genetic' mechanism whereby microparticles (MPs) serve as vectors in the acquisition and spread of MDR. MPs isolated from drug-resistant cancer cells (VLB(100)) were co-cultured with drug sensitive cells (CCRF-CEM) over a 4 h period to allow for MP binding and P-gp transfer. Presence of P-gp on MPs was established using flow cytometry (FCM) and western blotting. Whole-cell drug accumulation assays using rhodamine 123 and daunorubicin (DNR) were carried out to validate the transfer of functional P-gp after co-culture. We establish that MPs shed in vitro from drug-resistant cancer cells incorporate cell surface P-gp from their donor cells, effectively bind to drug-sensitive recipient cells and transfer functional P-gp to the latter. These findings serve to substantially advance our understanding of the molecular basis for the emergence of MDR in cancer clinically and lead to new treatment strategies which target and inhibit MP mediated transfer of P-gp during the course of treatment.

  8. Derivatization reactions in the gas—liquid chromatographic analysis of drugs in biological fluids

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hulshoff, A.; Lingeman, H.

    1984-01-01

    Alkylation, acylation, silylation and other derivatization reactions applied to the gas chromatographic analysis of drugs in biological matrices are reviewed. Reaction conditions are discussed in relation to reaction mechanisms. Detector-oriented labelling of drugs, and derivatization with chiral

  9. Cancer nanomedicines: so many papers and so few drugs!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venditto, Vincent J; Szoka, Francis C

    2013-01-01

    This review identifies a timeline to nanomedicine anticancer drug approval using the business model of inventors, innovators and imitators. By evaluating the publication record of nanomedicine cancer therapeutics we identified a trend of very few publications prior to FDA approval. We first enumerated the publications related to cancer involving polymers, liposomes or monoclonal antibodies and determined the number of citations per publication as well as the number of published clinical trials among the publications. Combining these data with the development of specific nanomedicines, we are able to identify an invention phase consisting of seminal papers in basic science necessary for the development of a specific nanomedicine. The innovation phase includes the first report, the development and the clinical trials involving that nanomedicine. Finally, the imitation phase begins after approval when others ride the wave of success by using the same formulation for new drugs or using the same drug to validate other nanomedicines. We then focused our analysis on nanomedicines containing camptothecin derivatives, which are not yet approved including two polymers considered innovations and one liposomal formulation in the imitation phase. The conclusion that may be drawn from the analysis of the camptothecins is that approved drugs reformulated in polymeric and liposomal cancer nanomedicines have a more difficult time navigating through the approval process than the parent molecule. This is probably due to the fact that for most currently approved drugs, reformulating them in a nanocarrier provides a small increase in performance that large pharmaceutical companies do not consider being worth the time, effort and expense of development. It also appears that drug carriers have a more difficult path through the clinic than monoclonal antibodies. The added complexity of nanocarriers also deters their use to deliver new molecular entities. Thus, the new drug candidates that

  10. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 is overexpressed in and promotes migration and invasion of drug-resistant cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Kairui; Shi, Xiaoli; Huo, Jinling; Liu, Weihua; Yang, Dongxiao; Yang, Tengjiao; Qin, Tiantian; Wang, Cong

    2017-08-01

    Drug resistance and metastasis significantly hinder chemotherapy and worsen prognoses in cancer. Bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) belongs to the TGF-β superfamily, has broad biological activities in cell proliferation and cartilage differentiation and is also able to induce migration and invasion. Herein, we investigated the role of BMP4 in the regulation of metastasis in paclitaxel-resistant human esophageal carcinoma EC109 cells (EC109/Taxol) and docetaxel-resistant human gastric cancer MGC803 cells (MGC/Doc). In these drug-resistant cell lines, we found the cell motility was enhanced and BMP4 was up-regulated relative to their respective parental cell lines. Consistent with in vitro assays, migration potential and BMP4 expression were increased in EC109/Taxol nude mice. Furthermore, to address whether BMP4 was required to enhance the metastatic in EC109/Taxol cells, the pharmacological inhibitor of BMP signaling dorsomorphin was used; meanwhile, we found that the migration and invasion abilities were inhibited. Moreover, the canonical Smad signaling pathway was investigated. Overall, our studies demonstrated that BMP4 participates in the regulation of invasion and migration by EC109/Taxol cells, and inhibition of BMP4 may be a novel strategy to interfere with metastasis in cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. In vitro biologic efficacy of sunitinib drug-eluting beads on human colorectal and hepatocellular carcinoma-A pilot study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Lahti

    Full Text Available Sunitinib drug eluting beads (DEB are a novel anti-angiogenic bead preparation for use in transarterial chemoembolization. However, systematic studies of sunitinib DEB's effect on cancer cells have not been reported. Herein, we assess their direct biologic efficacy against carcinoma cell lines and correlate cell viability with drug release in vitro.Sunitinib-HCl (10mg/mL in Milli-Q water was mixed with LC Bead® 300-500μm (Biocompatibles UK Ltd.. Loading and release were assessed by measurement of drug UV absorbance using UV-visible spectrophotometer. Viability of human colorectal cancer (CRC, HCT116 and HT29 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, HepG2 cells upon exposure to sunitinib DEB was measured using a bioluminescent assay. Drug concentration during exposure was quantified using HPLC.When added to cultured HepG2 cells, sunitinib DEB rapidly inhibited viability with a significant decrease observed within 1 hour of incubation. Viability of HCT116 and HT29 cells decreased relatively slower, with significant reductions observed after 8 and 24 hours, respectively. After 24 hours there was nearly complete inhibition of all three cell lines. There was no difference in viability observed between cells treated with 5 μl, 10 μL, or 20 μL of sunitinib DEB. HPLC analysis of the cell culture supernatant demonstrated saturation of the cell medium within approximately 4 hours for each amount added, with sunitinib achieving a final concentration of 17.61 μM (SE ±1.01.Sunitinib can be efficiently loaded to and released from LC beads, and the resulting sunitinib DEB demonstrate strong in vitro inhibition of human CRC and HCC cells.

  12. In vitro anticancer effects of a RAGE inhibitor discovered using a structure-based drug design system

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Far, Ali Hafez Ali Mohammed; Munesue, Seiichi; Harashima, Ai; Sato, Akira; Shindo, Mika; Nakajima, Shingo; Inada, Mana; Tanaka, Mariko; Takeuchi, Akihiko; Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki; Yamamoto, Hiroshi; Shaheen, Hazem M.E.; El-Sayed, Yasser S.; Kawano, Shuhei; Tanuma, Sei-Ichi; Yamamoto, Yasuhiko

    2018-01-01

    Receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) is a pattern recognition receptor implicated in the pathogenesis of certain types of cancer. In the present study, papaverine was identified as a RAGE inhibitor using the conversion to small molecules through optimized-peptide strategy drug design system. Papaverine significantly inhibited RAGE-dependent nuclear factor κ-B activation driven by high mobility group box-1, a RAGE ligand. Using RAGE- or dominant-negative RAGE-expressing HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells, the present study revealed that papaverine suppressed RAGE-dependent cell proliferation and migration dose-dependently. Furthermore, papaverine significantly inhibited cell invasion. The results of the present study suggested that papaverine could inhibit RAGE, and provided novel insights into the field of RAGE biology, particularly anticancer therapies. PMID:29541234

  13. Biological Complexities in Radiation Carcinogenesis and Cancer Radiotherapy: Impact of New Biological Paradigms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Mozdarani

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Although radiation carcinogenesis has been shown both experimentally and epidemiologically, the use of ionizing radiation is also one of the major modalities in cancer treatment. Various known cellular and molecular events are involved in carcinogenesis. Apart from the known phenomena, there could be implications for carcinogenesis and cancer prevention due to other biological processes such as the bystander effect, the abscopal effect, intrinsic radiosensitivity and radioadaptation. Bystander effects have consequences for mutation initiated cancer paradigms of radiation carcinogenesis, which provide the mechanistic justification for low-dose risk estimates. The abscopal effect is potentially important for tumor control and is mediated through cytokines and/or the immune system (mainly cell-mediated immunity. It results from loss of growth and stimulatory and/or immunosuppressive factors from the tumor. Intrinsic radiosensitivity is a feature of some cancer prone chromosomal breakage syndromes such as ataxia telangectiasia. Radiosensitivity is manifested as higher chromosomal aberrations and DNA repair impairment is now known as a good biomarker for breast cancer screening and prediction of prognosis. However, it is not yet known whether this effect is good or bad for those receiving radiation or radiomimetic agents for treatment. Radiation hormesis is another major concern for carcinogenesis. This process which protects cells from higher doses of radiation or radio mimic chemicals, may lead to the escape of cells from mitotic death or apoptosis and put cells with a lower amount of damage into the process of cancer induction. Therefore, any of these biological phenomena could have impact on another process giving rise to genome instability of cells which are not in the field of radiation but still receiving a lower amount of radiation. For prevention of radiation induced carcinogenesis or risk assessment as well as for successful radiation

  14. Nanotechnology-driven cancer therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosmane, Narayan S.

    2012-01-01

    In recent years, much efforts have been devoted to developing nanomaterials-based boron drugs for neutron capture therapy (NCT) and to date, a majority of the studies have proved reasonably promising. Conversely, further in vivo studies and clinical trails are needed to establish them as appropriate boron carriers; this is especially so with the relatively novel boron nanotubes and magnetic nanoparticles. More advanced forms of boron nanotubes can be anticipated as much interest in their synthesis as their future applications. Thus, boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a promising treatment for malignant brain tumors as well as for other types of cancers, such as, liver, prostate, bladder, breasts, head and neck tumors. Current research focuses on both the design and synthesis of high boron containing compounds as BNCT agents, and the search for suitable delivery vehicles. To be suitable BNCT agents, the problem of their low water-solubility needs to be resolved by chemical modification. In the case of magnetic nanoparticles, strategies are required to counter their tendency of embolization and their unclear cytotoxicity must be resolved

  15. Unravelling biology and shifting paradigms in cancer with single-cell sequencing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baslan, Timour; Hicks, James

    2017-08-24

    The fundamental operative unit of a cancer is the genetically and epigenetically innovative single cell. Whether proliferating or quiescent, in the primary tumour mass or disseminated elsewhere, single cells govern the parameters that dictate all facets of the biology of cancer. Thus, single-cell analyses provide the ultimate level of resolution in our quest for a fundamental understanding of this disease. Historically, this quest has been hampered by technological shortcomings. In this Opinion article, we argue that the rapidly evolving field of single-cell sequencing has unshackled the cancer research community of these shortcomings. From furthering an elemental understanding of intra-tumoural genetic heterogeneity and cancer genome evolution to illuminating the governing principles of disease relapse and metastasis, we posit that single-cell sequencing promises to unravel the biology of all facets of this disease.

  16. Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics as tools in cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-Vicente, Ana E; Lumbreras, Eva; Hernández, Jesus M; Martín, Miguel; Calles, Antonio; Otín, Carlos López; Algarra, Salvador Martín; Páez, David; Taron, Miquel

    2016-03-01

    Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics (PGx) are rapidly growing fields that aim to elucidate the genetic basis for the interindividual differences in drug response. PGx approaches have been applied to many anticancer drugs in an effort to identify relevant inherited or acquired genetic variations that may predict patient response to chemotherapy and targeted therapies. In this article, we discuss the advances in the field of cancer pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, driven by the recent technological advances and new revolutionary massive sequencing technologies and their application to elucidate the genetic bases for interindividual drug response and the development of biomarkers able to personalize drug treatments. Specifically, we present recent progress in breast cancer molecular classifiers, cell-free circulating DNA as a prognostic and predictive biomarker in cancer, patient-derived tumor xenograft models, chronic lymphocytic leukemia genomic landscape, and current pharmacogenetic advances in colorectal cancer. This review is based on the lectures presented by the speakers of the symposium "Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics as Tools in Cancer Therapy" from the VII Conference of the Spanish Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Society (SEFF), held in Madrid (Spain) on April 21, 2015.

  17. Drug resistance in the mouse cancer clinic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rottenberg, Sven; Borst, Piet

    2012-01-01

    Drug resistance is one of the most pressing problems in treating cancer patients today. Local and regional disease can usually be adequately treated, but patients eventually die from distant metastases that have become resistant to all available chemotherapy. Although work on cultured tumor cell

  18. Advanced glycation end-products: a biological consequence of lifestyle contributing to cancer disparity

    OpenAIRE

    Turner, David P.

    2015-01-01

    Low income, poor diet, obesity and a lack of exercise are inter-related lifestyle factors that can profoundly alter our biological make-up to increase cancer risk, growth and development. We recently reported a potential mechanistic link between carbohydrate derived metabolites and cancer which may provide a biological consequence of lifestyle that can directly impact tumor biology. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are reactive metabolites produced as a by-product of sugar metabolism. F...

  19. ProteoLens: a visual analytic tool for multi-scale database-driven biological network data mining.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huan, Tianxiao; Sivachenko, Andrey Y; Harrison, Scott H; Chen, Jake Y

    2008-08-12

    New systems biology studies require researchers to understand how interplay among myriads of biomolecular entities is orchestrated in order to achieve high-level cellular and physiological functions. Many software tools have been developed in the past decade to help researchers visually navigate large networks of biomolecular interactions with built-in template-based query capabilities. To further advance researchers' ability to interrogate global physiological states of cells through multi-scale visual network explorations, new visualization software tools still need to be developed to empower the analysis. A robust visual data analysis platform driven by database management systems to perform bi-directional data processing-to-visualizations with declarative querying capabilities is needed. We developed ProteoLens as a JAVA-based visual analytic software tool for creating, annotating and exploring multi-scale biological networks. It supports direct database connectivity to either Oracle or PostgreSQL database tables/views, on which SQL statements using both Data Definition Languages (DDL) and Data Manipulation languages (DML) may be specified. The robust query languages embedded directly within the visualization software help users to bring their network data into a visualization context for annotation and exploration. ProteoLens supports graph/network represented data in standard Graph Modeling Language (GML) formats, and this enables interoperation with a wide range of other visual layout tools. The architectural design of ProteoLens enables the de-coupling of complex network data visualization tasks into two distinct phases: 1) creating network data association rules, which are mapping rules between network node IDs or edge IDs and data attributes such as functional annotations, expression levels, scores, synonyms, descriptions etc; 2) applying network data association rules to build the network and perform the visual annotation of graph nodes and edges

  20. Screening the Drug Sensitivity Genes Related to GEM and CDDP in the Lung Cancer Cell-lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chunyu YANG

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Background and objective Screening of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cell lines with gemcitabine hydrochloride (GEM and cisplatin (CDDP related to drug sensitivity gene might clarify the action mechanism of anti-cancer drugs and provide a new clue for overcoming drug resistance and the development of new anti-cancer drugs, and also provide theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of individual. Methods The drug sensitivity of CDDP and GEM in 4 SCLC cell lines and 6 NSCLC cell lines was determined using MTT colorimetric assay, while the cDNA macroarray was applied to detect the gene expression state related to drug sensitivity of 10 lung cancer cell line in 1 291, and the correlation between the two was analysized. Results There were 6 genes showing significant positive correlation (r≥0.632, P < 0.05 with GEM sensitivity; 45 genes positively related to CDDP; another 41 genes related to both GEM and CDDP (r≥± 0.4. Lung cancer with GEM and CDDP sensitivity of two types of drugs significantly related genes were Metallothinein (Signal transduction molecules, Cathepsin B (Organization protease B and TIMP1 (Growth factor; the GEM, CDDP sensitivity associated genes of lung cancer cell lines mainly distributed in Metallothinein, Cathepsin B, growth factor TIMP1 categories. Conclusion There existed drug-related sensitive genes of GEM, CDDP in SCLC and NSCLC cell lines; of these genes, Metallothinein, Cathepsin B and TIMP1 genes presented a significant positive correlation with GEM drug sensitivity, a significant negative correlation with CDDP drug sensitivity.

  1. Drug cocktail optimization in chemotherapy of cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saskia Preissner

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In general, drug metabolism has to be considered to avoid adverse effects and ineffective therapy. In particular, chemotherapeutic drug cocktails strain drug metabolizing enzymes especially the cytochrome P450 family (CYP. Furthermore, a number of important chemotherapeutic drugs such as cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, tamoxifen or procarbazine are administered as prodrugs and have to be activated by CYP. Therefore, the genetic variability of these enzymes should be taken into account to design appropriate therapeutic regimens to avoid inadequate drug administration, toxicity and inefficiency. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to find drug interactions and to avoid side effects or ineffective therapy in chemotherapy. DATA SOURCES AND METHODS: Information on drug administration in the therapy of leukemia and their drug metabolism was collected from scientific literature and various web resources. We carried out an automated textmining approach. Abstracts of PubMed were filtered for relevant articles using specific keywords. Abstracts were automatically screened for antineoplastic drugs and their synonyms in combination with a set of human CYPs in title or abstract. RESULTS: We present a comprehensive analysis of over 100 common cancer treatment regimens regarding drug-drug interactions and present alternatives avoiding CYP overload. Typical concomitant medication, e.g. antiemetics or antibiotics is a preferred subject to improvement. A webtool, which allows drug cocktail optimization was developed and is publicly available on http://bioinformatics.charite.de/chemotherapy.

  2. Development and economic trends in cancer therapeutic drugs: a 5-year update 2010-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savage, P; Mahmoud, S

    2015-03-17

    Over the past 20 years, the mechanisms of action, duration of benefits and economic costs of newly licenced cancer drugs have changed significantly; however, summary data on these characteristics are limited. In this study, using historical copies of the British National Formulary and relevant contemporary publications, we have documented for each new cancer drug the year of introduction, therapeutic classification, initial indication, median duration of treatment and the cost of treatment at introduction relative to the then current UK GDP per capita. Before 2000, there were 69 cancer treatment drugs available, of which 50 (72.5%) were classical cytotoxic drugs. In the subsequent 15 years, there have been 63 more new cancer treatment drugs added, including 20 kinase inhibitors and 11 monoclonal antibodies. The average median duration of treatment with a new drug has risen from 181 days in 1995-1999 to 263 days in 2010-2014. The average cost of treatment has also risen from £3036.91 (20.6% of UK per capita GDP) in 1995-1999 to £20 233 (89.0%) in 2005-2009 and now to £35 383 (141.7%) in 2010-2014. The last 5 years has seen 33 new cancer drugs. These drugs deliver significant benefits in patient outcomes and are taken for increasing lengths of time. Alongside these clinical benefits, the direct costs of new treatments have increased significantly over the past decade.

  3. HSA-based multi-target combination therapy: regulating drugs' release from HSA and overcoming single drug resistance in a breast cancer model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gou, Yi; Zhang, Zhenlei; Li, Dongyang; Zhao, Lei; Cai, Meiling; Sun, Zhewen; Li, Yongping; Zhang, Yao; Khan, Hamid; Sun, Hongbing; Wang, Tao; Liang, Hong; Yang, Feng

    2018-11-01

    Multi-drug delivery systems, which may be promising solution to overcome obstacles, have limited the clinical success of multi-drug combination therapies to treat cancer. To this end, we used three different anticancer agents, Cu(BpT)Br, NAMI-A, and doxorubicin (DOX), to build human serum albumin (HSA)-based multi-drug delivery systems in a breast cancer model to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of overcoming single drug (DOX) resistance to cancer cells in vivo, and to regulate the drugs' release from HSA. The HSA complex structure revealed that NAMI-A and Cu(BpT)Br bind to the IB and IIA sub-domain of HSA by N-donor residue replacing a leaving group and coordinating to their metal centers, respectively. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra demonstrated that one DOX molecule is conjugated with lysine of HSA by a pH-sensitive linker. Furthermore, the release behavior of three agents form HSA can be regulated at different pH levels. Importantly, in vivo results revealed that the HSA-NAMI-A-Cu(BpT)Br-DOX complex not only increases the targeting ability compared with a combination of the three agents (the NAMI-A/Cu(BpT)Br/DOX mixture), but it also overcomes DOX resistance to drug-resistant breast cancer cell lines.

  4. Guidelines for Rational Cancer Therapeutics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byunghee Yoo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Traditionally, cancer therapy has relied on surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In recent years, these interventions have become increasingly replaced or complemented by more targeted approaches that are informed by a deeper understanding of the underlying biology. Still, the implementation of fully rational patient-specific drug design appears to be years away. Here, we present a vision of rational drug design for cancer that is defined by two major components: modularity and image guidance. We suggest that modularity can be achieved by combining a nanocarrier and an oligonucleotide component into the therapeutic. Image guidance can be incorporated into the nanocarrier component by labeling with a specific imaging reporter, such as a radionuclide or contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging. While limited by the need for additional technological advancement in the areas of cancer biology, nanotechnology, and imaging, this vision for the future of cancer therapy can be used as a guide to future research endeavors.

  5. Cancer Theory from Systems Biology Point of View

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Gaowei; Tang, Ying; Yuan, Ruoshi; Ao, Ping

    In our previous work, we have proposed a novel cancer theory, endogenous network theory, to understand mechanism underlying cancer genesis and development. Recently, we apply this theory to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A core endogenous network of hepatocyte was established by integrating the current understanding of hepatocyte at molecular level. Quantitative description of the endogenous network consisted of a set of stochastic differential equations which could generate many local attractors with obvious or non-obvious biological functions. By comparing with clinical observation and experimental data, the results showed that two robust attractors from the model reproduced the main known features of normal hepatocyte and cancerous hepatocyte respectively at both modular and molecular level. In light of our theory, the genesis and progression of cancer is viewed as transition from normal attractor to HCC attractor. A set of new insights on understanding cancer genesis and progression, and on strategies for cancer prevention, cure, and care were provided.

  6. Does respondent driven sampling alter the social network composition and health-seeking behaviors of illicit drug users followed prospectively?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abby E Rudolph

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Respondent driven sampling (RDS was originally developed to sample and provide peer education to injection drug users at risk for HIV. Based on the premise that drug users' social networks were maintained through sharing rituals, this peer-driven approach to disseminate educational information and reduce risk behaviors capitalizes and expands upon the norms that sustain these relationships. Compared with traditional outreach interventions, peer-driven interventions produce greater reductions in HIV risk behaviors and adoption of safer behaviors over time, however, control and intervention groups are not similarly recruited. As peer-recruitment may alter risk networks and individual risk behaviors over time, such comparison studies are unable to isolate the effect of a peer-delivered intervention. This analysis examines whether RDS recruitment (without an intervention is associated with changes in health-seeking behaviors and network composition over 6 months. New York City drug users (N = 618 were recruited using targeted street outreach (TSO and RDS (2006-2009. 329 non-injectors (RDS = 237; TSO = 92 completed baseline and 6-month surveys ascertaining demographic, drug use, and network characteristics. Chi-square and t-tests compared RDS- and TSO-recruited participants on changes in HIV testing and drug treatment utilization and in the proportion of drug using, sex, incarcerated and social support networks over the follow-up period. The sample was 66% male, 24% Hispanic, 69% black, 62% homeless, and the median age was 35. At baseline, the median network size was 3, 86% used crack, 70% used cocaine, 40% used heroin, and in the past 6 months 72% were tested for HIV and 46% were enrolled in drug treatment. There were no significant differences by recruitment strategy with respect to changes in health-seeking behaviors or network composition over 6 months. These findings suggest no association between RDS recruitment and changes in

  7. Zirconium phosphate nanoplatelets: a biocompatible nanomaterial for drug delivery to cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Vipin; Diaz, Agustin; Clearfield, Abraham; Batteas, James D.; Hussain, Muhammad Delwar

    2013-02-01

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanoplatelets (NPs), and their use in drug delivery. ZrP and doxorubicin-intercalated ZrP (DOX:ZrP) NPs were characterized by using X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Micrography (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Biocompatibility of ZrP NPs was evaluated in human embryonic kidney (HEK-293), breast cancer (MCF-7), metastatic breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3), resistant cancer (NCI-RES/ADR) cells and mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7) cell lines. Hemocompatibility of ZrP NPs was evaluated with human red blood cells. Simulated body fluid (SBF) of pH 7.4 was used to determine the in vitro release of doxorubicin from DOX:ZrP NPs. Cellular uptake and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of DOX:ZrP NPs were determined in MDA-MB-231. The ZrP nanomaterial can be prepared in the 100-200 nm size range with a platelet-like shape. The ZrP NPs themselves are biocompatible, hemocompatible and showed no toxicity to the macrophage cells. ZrP NPs can intercalate high loads (35% w/w) of doxorubicin between their layers. The release of DOX was sustained for about 2 weeks. DOX:ZrP NPs showed higher cellular uptake and increased cytotoxicity than free DOX in MDA-MB-231 cells. ZrP NPs are highly biocompatible, can intercalate large amounts of drugs and sustain the release of drugs. ZrP NPs improved the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of DOX to MDA-MB-231 cells. ZrP NPs are promising nanocarriers for drug delivery in cancer therapy.The objective of this study was to evaluate the biocompatibility of zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanoplatelets (NPs), and their use in drug delivery. ZrP and doxorubicin-intercalated ZrP (DOX:ZrP) NPs were characterized by using X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Transmission Electron Micrography (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM

  8. Tumor biology and cancer therapy – an evolving relationship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lother Ulrike

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The aim of palliative chemotherapy is to increase survival whilst maintaining maximum quality of life for the individual concerned. Although we are still continuing to explore the optimum use of traditional chemotherapy agents, the introduction of targeted therapies has significantly broadened the therapeutic options. Interestingly, the results from current trials put the underlying biological concept often into a new, less favorable perspective. Recent data suggested that altered pathways underlie cancer, and not just altered genes. Thus, an effective therapeutic agent will sometimes have to target downstream parts of a signaling pathway or physiological effects rather than individual genes. In addition, over the past few years increasing evidence has suggested that solid tumors represent a very heterogeneous group of cells with different susceptibility to cancer therapy. Thus, since therapeutic concepts and pathophysiological understanding are continuously evolving a combination of current concepts in tumor therapy and tumor biology is needed. This review aims to present current problems of cancer therapy by highlighting exemplary results from recent clinical trials with colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients and to discuss the current understanding of the underlying reasons.

  9. Methodology to Forecast Volume and Cost of Cancer Drugs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yehoda M. Martei

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs, frequent outages of the stock of cancer drugs undermine cancer care delivery and are potentially fatal for patients with cancer. The aim of this study is to describe a methodologic approach to forecast chemotherapy volume and estimate cost that can be readily updated and applied in most LMICs. Methods: Prerequisite data for forecasting are population-based incidence data and cost estimates per unit of drug to be ordered. We used the supplementary guidelines from the WHO list of essential medicines for cancer to predict treatment plans and ordering patterns. We used de-identified aggregate data from the Botswana National Cancer Registry to estimate incident cases. The WHO Management Sciences for Health International Price Indicator was used to estimate unit costs per drug. Results: Chemotherapy volume required for incident cancer cases was estimated as the product of the standardized dose required to complete a full treatment regimen per patient, with a given cancer diagnosis and stage, multiplied by the total number of incident cancer cases with the respective diagnosis. The estimated chemotherapy costs to treat the 10 most common cancers in the public health care sector of Botswana is approximately 2.3 million US dollars. An estimated 66% of the budget is allocated to costs of rituximab and trastuzumab alone, which are used by approximately 10% of the cancer population. Conclusion: This method provides a reproducible approach to forecast chemotherapy volume and cost in LMICs. The chemotherapy volume and cost outputs of this methodology provide key stakeholders with valuable information that can guide budget estimation, resource allocation, and drug-price negotiations for cancer treatment. Ultimately, this will minimize drug shortages or outages and reduce potential loss of lives that result from an erratic drug supply.

  10. A stress driven growth model for soft tissue considering biological availability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oller, S; Bellomo, F J; Nallim, L G; Armero, F

    2010-01-01

    Some of the key factors that regulate growth and remodeling of tissues are fundamentally mechanical. However, it is important to take into account the role of bioavailability together with the stresses and strains in the processes of normal or pathological growth. In this sense, the model presented in this work is oriented to describe the growth of soft biological tissue under 'stress driven growth' and depending on the biological availability of the organism. The general theoretical framework is given by a kinematic formulation in large strain combined with the thermodynamic basis of open systems. The formulation uses a multiplicative decomposition of deformation gradient, splitting it in a growth part and visco-elastic part. The strains due to growth are incompatible and are controlled by an unbalanced stresses related to a homeostatic state. Growth implies a volume change with an increase of mass maintaining constant the density. One of the most interesting features of the proposed model is the generation of new tissue taking into account the contribution of mass to the system controlled through biological availability. Because soft biological tissues in general have a hierarchical structure with several components (usually a soft matrix reinforced with collagen fibers), the developed growth model is suitable for the characterization of the growth of each component. This allows considering a different behavior for each of them in the context of a generalized theory of mixtures. Finally, we illustrate the response of the model in case of growth and atrophy with an application example.

  11. Reproductive hormones and metabolic syndrome in 24 testicular cancer survivors and their biological brothers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandak, M; Jørgensen, N; Juul, A; Lauritsen, J; Kier, M G G; Mortensen, M S; Oturai, P S; Mortensen, J; Hojman, P; Helge, J W; Daugaard, G

    2017-07-01

    Testicular cancer survivors have impaired gonadal function and increased risk of metabolic syndrome when compared to healthy controls. However, because of the fetal etiology of testicular cancer, familial unrelated healthy men might not be an optimal control group. The objective of this study was to clarify if testicular cancer survivors have impaired gonadal function and increased risk of metabolic syndrome when compared to their biological brothers. A cross-sectional study of testicular cancer survivors (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02240966) was conducted between 2014 and 2016. Of 158 testicular cancer survivors included, 24 had a biological brother who accepted to participate in the study. Serum levels of reproductive hormones and prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to International Diabetes Federation Criteria and National Cholesterol Education Program (Adult Treatment Panel III) criteria comprised the main outcome measures of the study. Median age was similar in testicular cancer survivors and their biological brothers [44 years (IQR 39-50) vs. 46 (40-53) years respectively (p = 0.1)]. In testicular cancer survivors, follow-up since treatment was 12 years (7-19). Serum levels of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were elevated (p ≤ 0.001), while total testosterone, free testosterone, inhibin B and anti-Müllerian hormone were lower (p ≤ 0.001) in testicular cancer survivors than in their biological brothers. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was similar and apart from HDL-cholesterol, which was lower in testicular cancer survivors (p = 0.01); there were no differences in the individual components of the metabolic syndrome between testicular cancer survivors and their brothers. In conclusion, gonadal function was impaired in testicular cancer survivors, while we did not detect any difference in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome between testicular cancer survivors and their biological brothers. © 2017 American

  12. Recent trends in drug delivery system using protein nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sripriyalakshmi, S; Jose, Pinkybel; Ravindran, Aswathy; Anjali, C H

    2014-09-01

    Engineered nanoparticles that can facilitate drug formulation and passively target tumours have been under extensive research in recent years. These successes have driven a new wave of significant innovation in the generation of advanced particles. The fate and transport of diagnostic nanoparticles would significantly depend on nonselective drug delivery, and hence the use of high drug dosage is implemented. In this perspective, nanocarrier-based drug targeting strategies can be used which improve the selective delivery of drugs to the site of action, i.e. drug targeting. Pharmaceutical industries majorly focus on reducing the toxicity and side effects of drugs but only recently it has been realised that carrier systems themselves may pose risks to the patient. Proteins are compatible with biological systems and they are biodegradable. They offer a multitude of moieties for modifications to tailor drug binding, imaging or targeting entities. Thus, protein nanoparticles provide outstanding contributions as a carrier for drug delivery systems. This review summarises recent progress in particle-based therapeutic delivery and discusses important concepts in particle design and biological barriers for developing the next generation of particles drug delivery systems.

  13. Liposome based radiosensitizer cancer therapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pourhassan, Houman

    Liposome-encapsulated chemotherapeutics have been used in the treatment of a variety of cancers and are feasible for use as mono-therapeutics as well as for combination therapy in conjunction with other modalities. Despite widespread use of liposomal drugs in cancer patient care, insufficient drug...... biomolecules. By modulating the liposomal membrane, liposomes can become sensitive towards enzymatically-driven destabilization and/or functionalization, thereby allowing control of the release of encapsulated therapeutics within the diseased tissue upon intrinsic stimulation from tumor-associated enzymes...... in tumor-bearing mice.The safety and efficacy of sPLA2-sensitive liposomal L-OHP was assessed in sPLA2-deficient FaDu hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and sPLA2-expressing Colo205 colorectal adenocarcinoma. Also, the feasibility of multimodal cancer therapy employing L-OHP encapsulated in MMP...

  14. Antibody-linked drug destroys tumor cells and tumor blood vessels in many types of cancer | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    A team led by Brad St. Croix, Ph.D., Senior Associate Scientist, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, has developed an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that destroys both tumor cells and the blood vessels that nourish them. The drug significantly shrank breast tumors, colon tumors and several other types of cancer and prolonged survival. Learn more...  

  15. Delivery of a survivin promoter-driven antisense survivin-expressing plasmid DNA as a cancer therapeutic: a proof-of-concept study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin KY

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Kun-Yuan Lin,1 Siao Muk Cheng,2 Shing-Ling Tsai,2 Ju-Ya Tsai,1 Chun-Hui Lin,1 Chun Hei Antonio Cheung1,2 1Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC; 2Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC Abstract: Survivin is a member of the inhibitor-of-apoptosis proteins family. It is overexpressed in many different cancer types but not in the differentiated normal tissue. In addition, overexpression of survivin promotes cancer cell survival and induces chemotherapeutic drug resistance, making it an attractive target for new anticancer interventions. Despite survivin being a promising molecular target for anticancer treatment, it is widely accepted that survivin is only a “semi-druggable” target. Therefore, it is important to develop a new strategy to target survivin for anticancer treatment. In this study, we constructed a novel survivin promoter-driven full-length antisense survivin (pSur/AS-Sur expression plasmid DNA. Promoter activity assay revealed that the activity of the survivin promoter of pSur/AS-Sur correlated with the endogenous expression of survivin at the transcriptional level in the transfected A549, MDA-MB-231, and PANC-1 cancer cells. Western blot analysis showed that liposomal delivery of pSur/AS-Sur successfully downregulated the expression of survivin in A549, MBA-MB-231, and PANC-1 cells in vitro. In addition, delivery of pSur/AS-Sur induced autophagy, caspase-dependent apoptosis, and caspase-independent apoptosis as indicated by the increased LC3B-II conversion, autophagosome formation, caspase-9/-3 and poly(ADP-ribose polymerase-1 cleavage, and apoptosis-inducing factor nuclear translocation in A549, MBA-MB-231, and PANC-1 cells. Importantly, liposomal delivery of pSur/AS-Sur was also capable of decreasing the proliferation of the survivin/MDR1 coexpressing multidrug-resistant KB-TAX50 cancer cells and

  16. Biological therapy of hematologic malignancies: toward a chemotherapy-free era.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klener, Pavel; Etrych, Tomas; Klener, Pavel

    2017-10-06

    Less than 70 years ago, the vast majority of hematologic malignancies were untreatable diseases with fatal prognoses. The development of modern chemotherapy agents, which had begun after the Second World War, was markedly accelerated by the discovery of the structure of DNA and its role in cancer biology and tumor cell division. The path travelled from the first temporary remissions observed in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with single-agent antimetabolites until the first cures achieved by multi-agent chemotherapy regimens was incredibly short. Despite great successes, however, conventional genotoxic cytostatics suffered from an inherently narrow therapeutic index and extensive toxicity, which in many instances limited their clinical utilization. In the last decade of the 20th century, increasing knowledge on the biology of certain malignancies resulted in the conception and development of first molecularly targeted agents designed to inhibit specific druggable molecules involved in the survival of cancer cells. Advances in technology and genetic engineering enabled the production of structurally complex anticancer macromolecules called biologicals, including therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and antibody fragments. The development of drug delivery systems (DDSs), in which conventional drugs were attached to various types of carriers including nanoparticles, liposomes or biodegradable polymers, represented an alternative approach to the development of new anticancer agents. Despite the fact that the antitumor activity of drugs attached to DDSs was not fundamentally different, the improved pharmacokinetic profiles, decreased toxic side effects and significantly increased therapeutic indexes resulted in their enhanced antitumor efficacy compared to conventional (unbound) drugs. Approval of the first immune checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of cancer in 2011 initiated the era of cancer immunotherapy. Checkpoint

  17. Advances in molecular biology of lung disease: aiming for precision therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rooney, Claire; Sethi, Tariq

    2015-10-01

    Lung cancer is the principal cause of cancer-related mortality in the developed world, accounting for almost one-quarter of all cancer deaths. Traditional treatment algorithms have largely relied on histologic subtype and have comprised pragmatic chemotherapy regimens with limited efficacy. However, because our understanding of the molecular basis of disease in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has improved exponentially, it has become apparent that NSCLC can be radically subdivided, or molecularly characterized, based on recurrent driver mutations occurring in specific oncogenes. We know that the presence of such mutations leads to constitutive activation of aberrant signaling proteins that initiate, progress, and sustain tumorigenesis. This persistence of the malignant phenotype is referred to as "oncogene addiction." On this basis, a paradigm shift in treatment approach has occurred. Rational, targeted therapies have been developed, the first being tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which entered the clinical arena > 10 years ago. These were tremendously successful, significantly affecting the natural history of NSCLC and improving patient outcomes. However, the benefits of these drugs are somewhat limited by the emergence of adaptive resistance mechanisms, and efforts to tackle this phenomenon are ongoing. A better understanding of all types of oncogene-driven NSCLC and the occurrence of TKI resistance will help us to further develop second- and third-generation small molecule inhibitors and will expand our range of precision therapies for this disease.

  18. Data-driven prediction of adverse drug reactions induced by drug-drug interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ruifeng; AbdulHameed, Mohamed Diwan M; Kumar, Kamal; Yu, Xueping; Wallqvist, Anders; Reifman, Jaques

    2017-06-08

    The expanded use of multiple drugs has increased the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) induced by drug-drug interactions (DDIs). However, such reactions are typically not observed in clinical drug-development studies because most of them focus on single-drug therapies. ADR reporting systems collect information on adverse health effects caused by both single drugs and DDIs. A major challenge is to unambiguously identify the effects caused by DDIs and to attribute them to specific drug interactions. A computational method that provides prospective predictions of potential DDI-induced ADRs will help to identify and mitigate these adverse health effects. We hypothesize that drug-protein interactions can be used as independent variables in predicting ADRs. We constructed drug pair-protein interaction profiles for ~800 drugs using drug-protein interaction information in the public domain. We then constructed statistical models to score drug pairs for their potential to induce ADRs based on drug pair-protein interaction profiles. We used extensive clinical database information to construct categorical prediction models for drug pairs that are likely to induce ADRs via synergistic DDIs and showed that model performance deteriorated only slightly, with a moderate amount of false positives and false negatives in the training samples, as evaluated by our cross-validation analysis. The cross validation calculations showed an average prediction accuracy of 89% across 1,096 ADR models that captured the deleterious effects of synergistic DDIs. Because the models rely on drug-protein interactions, we made predictions for pairwise combinations of 764 drugs that are currently on the market and for which drug-protein interaction information is available. These predictions are publicly accessible at http://avoid-db.bhsai.org . We used the predictive models to analyze broader aspects of DDI-induced ADRs, showing that ~10% of all combinations have the potential to induce ADRs

  19. Computational prediction of multidisciplinary team decision-making for adjuvant breast cancer drug therapies: a machine learning approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Frank P Y; Pokorny, Adrian; Teng, Christina; Dear, Rachel; Epstein, Richard J

    2016-12-01

    Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings are used to optimise expert decision-making about treatment options, but such expertise is not digitally transferable between centres. To help standardise medical decision-making, we developed a machine learning model designed to predict MDT decisions about adjuvant breast cancer treatments. We analysed MDT decisions regarding adjuvant systemic therapy for 1065 breast cancer cases over eight years. Machine learning classifiers with and without bootstrap aggregation were correlated with MDT decisions (recommended, not recommended, or discussable) regarding adjuvant cytotoxic, endocrine and biologic/targeted therapies, then tested for predictability using stratified ten-fold cross-validations. The predictions so derived were duly compared with those based on published (ESMO and NCCN) cancer guidelines. Machine learning more accurately predicted adjuvant chemotherapy MDT decisions than did simple application of guidelines. No differences were found between MDT- vs. ESMO/NCCN- based decisions to prescribe either adjuvant endocrine (97%, p = 0.44/0.74) or biologic/targeted therapies (98%, p = 0.82/0.59). In contrast, significant discrepancies were evident between MDT- and guideline-based decisions to prescribe chemotherapy (87%, p machine learning models. A machine learning approach based on clinicopathologic characteristics can predict MDT decisions about adjuvant breast cancer drug therapies. The discrepancy between MDT- and guideline-based decisions regarding adjuvant chemotherapy implies that certain non-clincopathologic criteria, such as patient preference and resource availability, are factored into clinical decision-making by local experts but not captured by guidelines.

  20. Deformation-driven, lethal damage to cancer cells. Its contribution to metastatic inefficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, L

    1991-04-01

    Direct and indirect, in vivo and in vitro observations are in accord with the hypothesis that as a consequence of their deformation within capillaries, cancer cells undergo sphere-to-cylinder shape-transformations that create a demand for increased surface area. When this demand cannot be met by apparent increases in surface area accomplished by nonlethal, surface "unfolding," the cell surface membrane is stretched; if expansion results in more than a 4% increase in true surface area, the membrane ruptures, resulting in cancer cell death. It is suggested that this deformation-driven process is an important factor in accounting for the rapid death of circulating cancer cells that have been trapped in the microvasculature. Therefore, this mechanism is thought to make a significant contribution to metastatic inefficiency by acting as a potent rate-regulator for hematogenous metastasis.

  1. The development of a value based pricing index for new drugs in metastatic colorectal cancer

    OpenAIRE

    Lubbe, Martha Susanna; Dranitsaris, George; Truter, Ilse

    2011-01-01

    Background Worldwide, prices for cancer drugs have been under downward pressure where several governments have mandated price cuts of branded products. A better alternative to government mandated price cuts would be to estimate a final price based on drug performance, cost effectiveness and a country’s ability to pay. We developed a global pricing index for new cancer drugs in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) that encompasses all of these attributes. Methods ...

  2. Molecular Biology of Pancreatic Cancer: How Useful Is It in Clinical Practice?

    OpenAIRE

    George H Sakorafas; Vasileios Smyrniotis

    2012-01-01

    Context During the recent two decades dramatic advances of molecular biology allowed an in-depth understanding of pancreatic carcinogenesis. It is currently accepted that pancreatic cancer has a genetic component. The real challenge is now how these impressive advances could be used in clinical practice. Objective To critically present currently available data regarding clinical application of molecular biology in pancreatic cancer. Methods Reports about clinical implications of molecular bio...

  3. Reproductive hormones and metabolic syndrome in 24 testicular cancer survivors and their biological brothers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bandak, M.; Jorgensen, N.; Juul, A.

    2017-01-01

    ) criteria comprised the main outcome measures of the study. Median age was similar in testicular cancer survivors and their biological brothers [44 years (IQR 39–50) vs. 46 (40–53) years respectively (p = 0.1)]. In testicular cancer survivors, follow-up since treatment was 12 years (7–19). Serum levels...... was to clarify if testicular cancer survivors have impaired gonadal function and increased risk of metabolic syndrome when compared to their biological brothers. A cross-sectional study of testicular cancer survivors (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02240966) was conducted between 2014 and 2016. Of 158 testicular...... cancer survivors included, 24 had a biological brother who accepted to participate in the study. Serum levels of reproductive hormones and prevalence of metabolic syndrome according to International Diabetes Federation Criteria and National Cholesterol Education Program (Adult Treatment Panel III...

  4. The Mouse Tumor Biology Database: A Comprehensive Resource for Mouse Models of Human Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krupke, Debra M; Begley, Dale A; Sundberg, John P; Richardson, Joel E; Neuhauser, Steven B; Bult, Carol J

    2017-11-01

    Research using laboratory mice has led to fundamental insights into the molecular genetic processes that govern cancer initiation, progression, and treatment response. Although thousands of scientific articles have been published about mouse models of human cancer, collating information and data for a specific model is hampered by the fact that many authors do not adhere to existing annotation standards when describing models. The interpretation of experimental results in mouse models can also be confounded when researchers do not factor in the effect of genetic background on tumor biology. The Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB) database is an expertly curated, comprehensive compendium of mouse models of human cancer. Through the enforcement of nomenclature and related annotation standards, MTB supports aggregation of data about a cancer model from diverse sources and assessment of how genetic background of a mouse strain influences the biological properties of a specific tumor type and model utility. Cancer Res; 77(21); e67-70. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

  5. Chaste: A test-driven approach to software development for biological modelling

    KAUST Repository

    Pitt-Francis, Joe

    2009-12-01

    Chaste (\\'Cancer, heart and soft-tissue environment\\') is a software library and a set of test suites for computational simulations in the domain of biology. Current functionality has arisen from modelling in the fields of cancer, cardiac physiology and soft-tissue mechanics. It is released under the LGPL 2.1 licence. Chaste has been developed using agile programming methods. The project began in 2005 when it was reasoned that the modelling of a variety of physiological phenomena required both a generic mathematical modelling framework, and a generic computational/simulation framework. The Chaste project evolved from the Integrative Biology (IB) e-Science Project, an inter-institutional project aimed at developing a suitable IT infrastructure to support physiome-level computational modelling, with a primary focus on cardiac and cancer modelling. Program summary: Program title: Chaste. Catalogue identifier: AEFD_v1_0. Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEFD_v1_0.html. Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen\\'s University, Belfast, N. Ireland. Licensing provisions: LGPL 2.1. No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 5 407 321. No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 42 004 554. Distribution format: tar.gz. Programming language: C++. Operating system: Unix. Has the code been vectorised or parallelized?: Yes. Parallelized using MPI. RAM:< 90   Megabytes for two of the scenarios described in Section 6 of the manuscript (Monodomain re-entry on a slab or Cylindrical crypt simulation). Up to 16 Gigabytes (distributed across processors) for full resolution bidomain cardiac simulation. Classification: 3. External routines: Boost, CodeSynthesis XSD, CxxTest, HDF5, METIS, MPI, PETSc, Triangle, Xerces. Nature of problem: Chaste may be used for solving coupled ODE and PDE systems arising from modelling biological systems. Use of Chaste in two application areas are described in this paper: cardiac

  6. Tailored approaches in drug development and diagnostics : from molecular design to biological model systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sahlgren, C.M.; Meinander, A.; Zhang, H.; Cheng, F.; Preis, Maren; Xu, C.; Salminen, T.A.; Toivola, D.M.; Abankwa, D.; Rosling, A.; Karaman, D.Ş.; Salo-Ahen, O.M.H.; Österbacka, R.; Eriksson, J.E.; Willför, S.; Petre, I.; Peltonen, J.; Leino, R.; Johnson, M.; Rosenholm, J.; Sandler, N.

    2017-01-01

    Approaches to increase the efficiency in developing drugs and diagnostics tools, including new drug delivery and diagnostic technologies, are needed for improved diagnosis and treatment of major diseases and health problems such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, chronic wounds, and antibiotic

  7. 78 FR 65904 - Permanent Discontinuance or Interruption in Manufacturing of Certain Drug or Biological Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-04

    ... Manufacturing of Certain Drug or Biological Products AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Proposed.... The Fabrazyme shortage resulted from contamination at the manufacturing [[Page 65910

  8. Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis conributes to biology and drug discovery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Okada, Yukinori; Wu, Di; Trynka, Gosia; Raj, Towfique; Terao, Chikashi; Ikari, Katsunori; Kochi, Yuta; Ohmura, Koichiro; Suzuki, A.; Yoshida, S.; Graham, R.R.; Manoharan, A.; Ortmann, W.; Bhangale, T.; Denny, J.C.; Carroll, R.J.; Eyler, A.E.; Greenberg, J.D.; Kremer, J.M.; Pappas, D.A.; Jiang, L.; Yin, L.; Ye, L.; Su, D.F.; Yang, J.; Xie, G.; Keystone, E.; Westra, H.J.; Esko, T.; Metspalu, A.; Zhou, X.; Gupta, N.; Mirel, D.; Stahl, Eli A.; Diogo, D.; Cui, J.; Liao, K.; Guo, M.H.; Myouzen, K.; Kawaguchi, T.; Coenen, M.J.; van Riel, P.L.; van de Laar, Mart A.F.J.; Guchelaar, H.J.; Huizinga, T.W.; Dieudé, P.; Mariette, X.; Louis Bridges Jr, S.; Zhernakova, A.; Toes, R.E.; Tak, P.P.; Miceli-Richard, C.; Bang, S.Y.; Lee, H.S.; Martin, J.; Gonzales-Gay, M.A.; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, L.; Rantapää-Dhlqvist, S.; Arlestig, L.; Choi, H.K.; Kamatani, Y.; Galan, P.; Lathrop, M.; Eyre, S.; Bowes, J.; Barton, A.; de Vries, N.; Moreland, L.W.; Criswell, L.A.; Karlson, E.W.; Taniguchi, A.; Yamada, R; Kubo, M.; Bae, S.C.; Worthington, J.; Padyukov, L.; Klareskog, L.; Gregersen, Peter K.; Raychaudhuri, S.; Stranger, B.E.; de Jager, P.L.; Franke, L.; Visscher, P.M.; Brown, M.A.; Yamanaka, H.; Mimori, T.; Takahashi, A.; Xu, H.; Behrens, T.W.; Siminovitch, K.A.; Momohara, S.; Matsuda, F.; Yamamoto, K.; Plenge, Robert M.

    2013-01-01

    A major challenge in human genetics is to devise a systematic strategy to integrate disease-associated variants with diverse genomic and biological data sets to provide insight into disease pathogenesis and guide drug discovery for complex traits such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)1. Here we performed

  9. The Impact of Conventional and Biological Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Bone Biology. Rheumatoid Arthritis as a Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barreira, Sofia Carvalho; Fonseca, João Eurico

    2016-08-01

    The bone and the immune system have a very tight interaction. Systemic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), induce bone loss, leading to a twofold increase in osteoporosis and an increase of fragility fracture risk of 1.35-2.13 times. This review focuses on the effects of conventional and biological disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) on bone biology, in the context of systemic inflammation, with a focus on RA. Published evidence supports a decrease in osteoclastic activity induced by DMARDs, which leads to positive effects on bone mineral density (BMD). It is unknown if this effect could be translated into fracture risk reduction. The combination with antiosteoclastic drugs can have an additional benefit.

  10. Synergistic effects of plasma-activated medium and chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chao-Yu; Cheng, Yun-Chien; Cheng, Yi-Jing

    2018-04-01

    Chemotherapy is an important treatment method for metastatic cancer, but the drug-uptake efficiency of cancer cells needs to be enhanced in order to diminish the side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs and improve survival. The use of a nonequilibrium low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) has been demonstrated to exert selective effects in cancer therapy and to be able to enhance the uptake of molecules by cells, which makes an APPJ a good candidate adjuvant in combination chemotherapy. This study estimated the effects of direct helium-based APPJ (He-APPJ) exposure (DE) and He-APPJ-activated RPMI medium (PAM) on cell viability and migration. Both of these treatments decreased cell viability and inhibited cell migration, but to different degrees in different cell types. The use of PAM as a culture medium resulted in the dialkylcarbocyanine (DiI) fluorescent dye entering the cells more efficiently. PAM was combined with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (Doxo) to treat human heptocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and human adenocarcinomic alveolar basal epithelial A549 cells. The results showed that the synergistic effects of combined PAM and Doxo treatment resulted in stronger lethality in cancer cells than did PAM or Doxo treatment alone. To sum up, PAM has potential as an adjuvant in combination with other drugs to improve curative cancer therapies.

  11. Novel concept of the smart NIR-light-controlled drug release of black phosphorus nanostructure for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Meng; Wang, Dou; Liang, Weiyuan; Liu, Liping; Zhang, Yin; Chen, Xing; Sang, David Kipkemoi; Xing, Chenyang; Li, Zhongjun; Dong, Biqin; Xing, Feng; Fan, Dianyuan; Bao, Shiyun; Zhang, Han; Cao, Yihai

    2018-01-16

    A biodegradable drug delivery system (DDS) is one the most promising therapeutic strategies for cancer therapy. Here, we propose a unique concept of light activation of black phosphorus (BP) at hydrogel nanostructures for cancer therapy. A photosensitizer converts light into heat that softens and melts drug-loaded hydrogel-based nanostructures. Drug release rates can be accurately controlled by light intensity, exposure duration, BP concentration, and hydrogel composition. Owing to sufficiently deep penetration of near-infrared (NIR) light through tissues, our BP-based system shows high therapeutic efficacy for treatment of s.c. cancers. Importantly, our drug delivery system is completely harmless and degradable in vivo. Together, our work proposes a unique concept for precision cancer therapy by external light excitation to release cancer drugs. If these findings are successfully translated into the clinic, millions of patients with cancer will benefit from our work.

  12. Neoadjuvant treatments in triple-negative breast cancer patients: where we are now and where we are going

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omarini C

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Claudia Omarini, Giorgia Guaitoli, Stefania Pipitone, Luca Moscetti, Laura Cortesi, Stefano Cascinu, Federico Piacentini Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, Division of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Modena, Modena, Italy Abstract: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC remains the poorest-prognosis breast cancer (BC subtype. Gene expression profiling has identified at least six different triple-negative subtypes with different biology and sensitivity to therapies. The heterogeneous nature of TN tumors may justify the difficulty in treating this BC subtype. Several targeted agents have been investigated in clinical trials without demonstrating a clear survival benefit. Therefore, systemic chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of current clinical practice. Improving the knowledge of tumor biology is mandatory for patient management. In stages II and III, neoadjuvant systemic treatment is an effective option of care. The achievement of a pathological complete response represents an optimal surrogate for survival outcome as well as a test for tumor drug sensitivity. In this review, we provide a brief description of the main predictive biomarkers for tumor response to systemic treatment. Moreover, we review the treatment strategies investigated for TNBCs in neoadjuvant settings focusing on experimental drugs such as immunotherapy and poly [ADP-ribose] polymerase inhibitors that hold promise in the treatment of this aggressive disease. Therefore, the management of TNBC represents an urgent, current, unmet need in daily clinical practice. A key recommendation is to design biology-driven clinical trials wherein TNBC patients may be treated on the basis of tumor molecular profile. Keywords: triple-negative breast cancer, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, BRCA, platinum, immunotherapy, PARP-1 inhibitors

  13. Regulatory approval of cancer risk-reducing (chemopreventive) drugs: moving what we have learned into the clinic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyskens, Frank L; Curt, Gregory A; Brenner, Dean E; Gordon, Gary; Herberman, Ronald B; Finn, Olivera; Kelloff, Gary J; Khleif, Samir N; Sigman, Caroline C; Szabo, Eva

    2011-03-01

    This article endeavors to clarify the current requirements and status of regulatory approval for chemoprevention (risk reduction) drugs and discusses possible improvements to the regulatory pathway for chemoprevention. Covering a wide range of topics in as much depth as space allows, this report is written in a style to facilitate the understanding of nonscientists and to serve as a framework for informing the directions of experts engaged more deeply with this issue. Key topics we cover here are as follows: a history of definitive cancer chemoprevention trials and their influence on the evolution of regulatory assessments; a brief review of the long-standing success of pharmacologic risk reduction of cardiovascular diseases and its relevance to approval for cancer risk reduction drugs; the use and limitations of biomarkers for developing and the approval of cancer risk reduction drugs; the identification of individuals at a high(er) risk for cancer and who are appropriate candidates for risk reduction drugs; business models that should incentivize pharmaceutical industry investment in cancer risk reduction; a summary of scientific and institutional barriers to development of cancer risk reduction drugs; and a summary of major recommendations that should help facilitate the pathway to regulatory approval for pharmacologic cancer risk reduction drugs.

  14. A side-effect free method for identifying cancer drug targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashraf, Md Izhar; Ong, Seng-Kai; Mujawar, Shama; Pawar, Shrikant; More, Pallavi; Paul, Somnath; Lahiri, Chandrajit

    2018-04-27

    Identifying effective drug targets, with little or no side effects, remains an ever challenging task. A potential pitfall of failing to uncover the correct drug targets, due to side effect of pleiotropic genes, might lead the potential drugs to be illicit and withdrawn. Simplifying disease complexity, for the investigation of the mechanistic aspects and identification of effective drug targets, have been done through several approaches of protein interactome analysis. Of these, centrality measures have always gained importance in identifying candidate drug targets. Here, we put forward an integrated method of analysing a complex network of cancer and depict the importance of k-core, functional connectivity and centrality (KFC) for identifying effective drug targets. Essentially, we have extracted the proteins involved in the pathways leading to cancer from the pathway databases which enlist real experimental datasets. The interactions between these proteins were mapped to build an interactome. Integrative analyses of the interactome enabled us to unearth plausible reasons for drugs being rendered withdrawn, thereby giving future scope to pharmaceutical industries to potentially avoid them (e.g. ESR1, HDAC2, F2, PLG, PPARA, RXRA, etc). Based upon our KFC criteria, we have shortlisted ten proteins (GRB2, FYN, PIK3R1, CBL, JAK2, LCK, LYN, SYK, JAK1 and SOCS3) as effective candidates for drug development.

  15. Multiple polysaccharide-drug complex-loaded liposomes: A unique strategy in drug loading and cancer targeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruttala, Hima Bindu; Ramasamy, Thiruganesh; Gupta, Biki; Choi, Han-Gon; Yong, Chul Soon; Kim, Jong Oh

    2017-10-01

    In the present study, a unique strategy was developed to develop nanocarriers containing multiple therapeutics with controlled release characteristics. In this study, we demonstrated the synthesis of dextran sulfate-doxorubicin (DS-DOX) and alginate-cisplatin (AL-CIS) polymer-drug complexes to produce a transferrin ligand-conjugated liposome. The targeted nanoparticles (TL-DDAC) were nano-sized and spherical. The targeted liposome exhibited a specific receptor-mediated endocytic uptake in cancer cells. The enhanced cellular uptake of TL-DDAC resulted in a significantly better anticancer effect in resistant and sensitive breast cancer cells compared to that of the free drugs. Specifically, DOX and CIS at a molar ratio of 1:1 exhibited better therapeutic performance compared to that of other combinations. The combination of an anthracycline-based topoisomerase II inhibitor (DOX) and a platinum compound (CIS) resulted in significantly higher cell apoptosis (early and late) in both types of cancer cells. In conclusion, treatment with DS-DOX and AL-CIS based combination liposomes modified with transferrin (TL-DDAC) was an effective cancer treatment strategy. Further investigation in clinically relevant animal models is warranted to prove the therapeutic efficacy of this unique strategy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Ion channels and transporters in the development of drug resistance in cancer cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hoffmann, Else Kay; Lambert, Ian Henry

    2014-01-01

    Multi-drug resistance (MDR) to chemotherapy is the major challenge in the treatment of cancer. MDR can develop by numerous mechanisms including decreased drug uptake, increased drug efflux and the failure to undergo drug-induced apoptosis. Evasion of drug-induced apoptosis through modulation of i...

  17. Dissecting the Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in BRCA1/2-Mutant Breast Cancers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-16-1-0600 TITLE: Dissecting the Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in BRCA1/2-Mutant Breast Cancers PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr...2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Dissecting the Mechanisms of Drug Resistance in BRCA1/2- Mutant Breast Cancers 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W81XWH-16-1-0600 5b...therapeutic modality for targeting homologous recombination (HR) deficient tumors such as BRCA1 and BRCA2-mutated triple negative breast cancers

  18. Effects of fertility drugs on cancers other than breast and gynecologic malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinton, Louise A; Moghissi, Kamran S; Scoccia, Bert; Lamb, Emmet J; Trabert, Britton; Niwa, Shelley; Ruggieri, David; Westhoff, Carolyn L

    2015-10-01

    To examine the relationship of ovulation-stimulating drugs to risk of cancers other than breast and gynecologic malignancies. Retrospective cohort study, with additional follow-up since initial report. Reproductive endocrinology practices. Among a cohort of 12,193 women evaluated for infertility between 1965 and 1988, a total of 9,892 women (81.1% of the eligible population) were followed through 2010, via passive and active (questionnaire) approaches. None. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for various fertility treatment parameters for select cancers. During 30.0 median years of follow-up (285,332 person-years), 91 colorectal cancers, 84 lung cancers, 55 thyroid cancers, and 70 melanomas were diagnosed among study subjects. Clomiphene citrate (CC), used by 38.1% of patients, was not associated with colorectal or lung cancer risks, but was related significantly to melanoma (HR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.18-3.22), and non-significantly to thyroid cancer risks (HR = 1.57; 95% CI: 0.89-2.75). The highest melanoma risks were seen among those with the lowest drug exposure levels, but thyroid cancer risk was greatest among the heavily exposed patients (HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 0.92-4.17 for those receiving >2,250 mg). Clomiphene citrate-associated risks for thyroid cancer were somewhat higher among nulligravid, compared with gravid, women, but did not differ according to distinct causes of infertility. Gonadotropins, used by only 9.7% of subjects, were not related to risk of any of the assessed cancers. Our results provide support for continued monitoring of both melanoma and thyroid cancer risk among patients receiving fertility drugs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Salinomycin sensitizes antimitotic drugs-treated cancer cells by increasing apoptosis via the prevention of G2 arrest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ju-Hwa; Yoo, Hye-In; Kang, Han Sung; Ro, Jungsil; Yoon, Sungpil

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Sal sensitizes antimitotic drugs-treated cancer cells. ► Sal sensitizes them by prevention of G2 arrest and reduced cyclin D1 levels. ► Sal also sensitizes them by increasing DNA damage and reducing p21 level. ► A low concentration of Sal effectively sensitized the cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. -- Abstract: Here, we investigated whether Sal could sensitize cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. We demonstrated that Sal sensitized paclitaxcel (PAC)-, docetaxcel (DOC)-, vinblastin (VIN)-, or colchicine (COL)-treated cancer cell lines, suggesting that Sal has the ability to sensitize the cells to any form of microtubule-targeting drugs. Sensitization to the antimitotic drugs could be achieved with very low concentrations of Sal, suggesting that there is a possibility to minimize Sal toxicity associated with human cancer patient treatments. Sensitization by Sal increased apoptosis, which was observed by C-PARP production. Sal sensitized the cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by preventing G2 arrest, suggesting that Sal contributes to the induction of mitotic catastrophe. Sal generally reduced cyclin D1 levels in PAC-, DOC-, and VIN-treated cells. In addition, Sal treatment increased pH2AX levels and reduced p21 levels in antimitotic drugs-treated cells. These observations suggest that the mechanisms underlying Sal sensitization to DNA-damaging compounds, radiation, and microtubule-targeting drugs are similar. Our data demonstrated that Sal sensitizes cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by increasing apoptosis through the prevention of G2 arrest via conserved Sal-sensitization mechanisms. These results may contribute to the development of Sal-based chemotherapy for cancer patients treated with antimitotic drugs.

  20. Salinomycin sensitizes antimitotic drugs-treated cancer cells by increasing apoptosis via the prevention of G2 arrest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Ju-Hwa; Yoo, Hye-In; Kang, Han Sung; Ro, Jungsil [Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Sungpil, E-mail: yoons@ncc.re.kr [Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Ilsan-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-02-03

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sal sensitizes antimitotic drugs-treated cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sal sensitizes them by prevention of G2 arrest and reduced cyclin D1 levels. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sal also sensitizes them by increasing DNA damage and reducing p21 level. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A low concentration of Sal effectively sensitized the cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. -- Abstract: Here, we investigated whether Sal could sensitize cancer cells to antimitotic drugs. We demonstrated that Sal sensitized paclitaxcel (PAC)-, docetaxcel (DOC)-, vinblastin (VIN)-, or colchicine (COL)-treated cancer cell lines, suggesting that Sal has the ability to sensitize the cells to any form of microtubule-targeting drugs. Sensitization to the antimitotic drugs could be achieved with very low concentrations of Sal, suggesting that there is a possibility to minimize Sal toxicity associated with human cancer patient treatments. Sensitization by Sal increased apoptosis, which was observed by C-PARP production. Sal sensitized the cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by preventing G2 arrest, suggesting that Sal contributes to the induction of mitotic catastrophe. Sal generally reduced cyclin D1 levels in PAC-, DOC-, and VIN-treated cells. In addition, Sal treatment increased pH2AX levels and reduced p21 levels in antimitotic drugs-treated cells. These observations suggest that the mechanisms underlying Sal sensitization to DNA-damaging compounds, radiation, and microtubule-targeting drugs are similar. Our data demonstrated that Sal sensitizes cancer cells to antimitotic drugs by increasing apoptosis through the prevention of G2 arrest via conserved Sal-sensitization mechanisms. These results may contribute to the development of Sal-based chemotherapy for cancer patients treated with antimitotic drugs.

  1. The impact of the written request process on drug development in childhood cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyder, Kristen M; Reaman, Gregory; Avant, Debbie; Pazdur, Richard

    2013-04-01

    The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act, enacted in 1997, created a pediatric exclusivity incentive allowing sponsors to qualify for an additional 6 months of marketing exclusivity after satisfying the requirements outlined in the Written Request (WR). This review evaluates the impact of the WR mechanism on the development of oncology drugs in children. A search of the FDA document archiving, reporting, and regulatory tracking system was performed for January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2010. Drugs were identified and pediatric-specific labeling information was obtained from Drugs@fda.gov and FDA Pediatric Labeling Changes Table. Fifty WRs have been issued for oncology drugs. Pediatric studies have been submitted for 14 drugs. Thirteen received pediatric exclusivity. As of December 31, 2010, labeling changes have been made for 11 drugs. Three drugs were approved for pediatric use. WRs have provided a mechanism to promote the study of drugs in pediatric malignancies. Information from studies resulting from the WRs regarding safety, pharmacokinetics, and tolerability of oncology drugs has been incorporated into pediatric labeling for 11/14 of the drugs. Earlier communication and collaboration between the FDA, National Cancer Institute, clinical investigators, and commercial sponsors are envisioned to facilitate the identification and prioritization of emerging new drugs of interest for WR consideration. Since this is the only regulatory mechanism, resulting from specific legislative initiatives relevant to cancer drug development for children, efforts to enhance its impact on increasing drug approval for pediatric cancer indications are warranted. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Glucuronidation as a mechanism of intrinsic drug resistance in colon cancer cells: contribution of drug transport proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cummings, Jeffrey; Zelcer, Noam; Allen, John D.; Yao, Denggao; Boyd, Gary; Maliepaard, Mark; Friedberg, Thomas H.; Smyth, John F.; Jodrell, Duncan I.

    2004-01-01

    We have recently shown that drug conjugation catalysed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) functions as an intrinsic mechanism of resistance to the topoisomerase I inhibitors 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin and NU/ICRF 505 in human colon cancer cells and now report on the role of drug transport in

  3. Increasing URM Undergraduate Student Success through Assessment-Driven Interventions: A Multiyear Study Using Freshman-Level General Biology as a Model System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmichael, Mary C.; St. Clair, Candace; Edwards, Andrea M.; Barrett, Peter; McFerrin, Harris; Davenport, Ian; Awad, Mohamed; Kundu, Anup; Ireland, Shubha Kale

    2016-01-01

    Xavier University of Louisiana leads the nation in awarding BS degrees in the biological sciences to African-American students. In this multiyear study with ~5500 participants, data-driven interventions were adopted to improve student academic performance in a freshman-level general biology course. The three hour-long exams were common and…

  4. Aptamers as Both Drugs and Drug-Carriers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Ashrafuzzaman

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aptamers are short nucleic acid oligos. They may serve as both drugs and drug-carriers. Their use as diagnostic tools is also evident. They can be generated using various experimental, theoretical, and computational techniques. The systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment which uses iterative screening of nucleic acid libraries is a popular experimental technique. Theory inspired methodology entropy-based seed-and-grow strategy that designs aptamer templates to bind specifically to targets is another one. Aptamers are predicted to be highly useful in producing general drugs and theranostic drugs occasionally for certain diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and so on. They bind to various targets like lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, small organic compounds, and even entire organisms. Aptamers may also serve as drug-carriers or nanoparticles helping drugs to get released in specific target regions. Due to better target specific physical binding properties aptamers cause less off-target toxicity effects. Therefore, search for aptamer based drugs, drug-carriers, and even diagnostic tools is expanding fast. The biophysical properties in relation to the target specific binding phenomena of aptamers, energetics behind the aptamer transport of drugs, and the consequent biological implications will be discussed. This review will open up avenues leading to novel drug discovery and drug delivery.

  5. Mitochondrial DNA is a direct target of anti-cancer anthracycline drugs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashley, Neil; Poulton, Joanna

    2009-01-01

    The anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin (DXR), are potent anti-cancer drugs but they are limited by their clinical toxicity. The mechanisms involved remain poorly understood partly because of the difficulty in determining sub-cellular drug localisation. Using a novel method utilising the fluorescent DNA dye PicoGreen, we found that anthracyclines intercalated not only into nuclear DNA but also mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Intercalation of mtDNA by anthracyclines may thus contribute to the marked mitochondrial toxicity associated with these drugs. By contrast, ethidium bromide intercalated exclusively into mtDNA, without interacting with nuclear DNA, thereby explaining why mtDNA is the main target for ethidium. By exploiting PicoGreen quenching we also developed a novel assay for quantification of mtDNA levels by flow-cytometry, an approach which should be useful for studies of mitochondrial dysfunction. In summary our PicoGreen assay should be useful to study drug/DNA interactions within live cells, and facilitate therapeutic drug monitoring and kinetic studies in cancer patients.

  6. [Is the price of cancer drugs related to the cost of develo-pment and production or to the economic value of their clincal efficacy?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russi, Alberto; Serena, Marta; Palozzo, Angelo C

    2016-04-01

    In the past years, the expenditure for cancer drugs has quickly increased, especially for biologic agents. Pharmaceutical companies and national health systems have different approaches in handling the issue of drug reimbursement. Companies support a price based on research and development (R&D) expenditures including those for unsuccessful drug projects while national health systems generally argue that pricing should be based on the incremental benefit generated by the agent under examination (value-based pricing - VBP). Nevertheless, current oncologic drugs prices are too high and not really justified by their incremental benefits or innovation, nor can they demonstrate that higher thresholds in QALYs could bring wider societal benefits. In this article we discuss these two points of view in the light of the most recent national and international literature. In Italy, drug reimbursement is currently managed through a mixed approach between the recognition of R&D expenditures and VBP. Reimbursement is also integrated with post-marketing patient-based national registries, particularly in the field of anti-cancer agents, that provide rebates based on financial risk sharing, cost-sharing, payment by results and success fee methods.

  7. Bioprinting the Cancer Microenvironment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu Shrike; Duchamp, Margaux; Oklu, Rahmi; Ellisen, Leif W; Langer, Robert; Khademhosseini, Ali

    2016-10-10

    Cancer is intrinsically complex, comprising both heterogeneous cellular compositions and microenvironmental cues. During the various stages of cancer initiation, development, and metastasis, cell-cell interactions (involving vascular and immune cells besides cancerous cells) as well as cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions (e.g., alteration in stiffness and composition of the surrounding matrix) play major roles. Conventional cancer models both two- and three-dimensional (2D and 3D) present numerous limitations as they lack good vascularization and cannot mimic the complexity of tumors, thereby restricting their use as biomimetic models for applications such as drug screening and fundamental cancer biology studies. Bioprinting as an emerging biofabrication platform enables the creation of high-resolution 3D structures and has been extensively used in the past decade to model multiple organs and diseases. More recently, this versatile technique has further found its application in studying cancer genesis, growth, metastasis, and drug responses through creation of accurate models that recreate the complexity of the cancer microenvironment. In this review we will focus first on cancer biology and limitations with current cancer models. We then detail the current bioprinting strategies including the selection of bioinks for capturing the properties of the tumor matrices, after which we discuss bioprinting of vascular structures that are critical toward construction of complex 3D cancer organoids. We finally conclude with current literature on bioprinted cancer models and propose future perspectives.

  8. Applications of dynamical systems in biology and medicine

    CERN Document Server

    Radunskaya, Ami

    2015-01-01

    This volume highlights problems from a range of biological and medical applications that can be interpreted as questions about system behavior or control.  Topics include drug resistance in cancer and malaria, biological fluid dynamics, auto-regulation in the kidney, anti-coagulation therapy, evolutionary diversification and photo-transduction.  Mathematical techniques used to describe and investigate these biological and medical problems include ordinary, partial and stochastic differentiation equations, hybrid discrete-continuous approaches, as well as 2 and 3D numerical simulation. .

  9. Intracellular trafficking of new anticancer therapeutics: antibody–drug conjugates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalim, Muhammad; Chen, Jie; Wang, Shenghao; Lin, Caiyao; Ullah, Saif; Liang, Keying; Ding, Qian; Chen, Shuqing; Zhan, Jinbiao

    2017-01-01

    Antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) is a milestone in targeted cancer therapy that comprises of monoclonal antibodies chemically linked to cytotoxic drugs. Internalization of ADC takes place via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and pinocytosis. Conjugation strategies, endocytosis and intracellular trafficking optimization, linkers, and drugs chemistry present a great challenge for researchers to eradicate tumor cells successfully. This inventiveness of endocytosis and intracellular trafficking has given considerable momentum recently to develop specific antibodies and ADCs to treat cancer cells. It is significantly advantageous to emphasize the endocytosis and intracellular trafficking pathways efficiently and to design potent engineered conjugates and biological entities to boost efficient therapies enormously for cancer treatment. Current studies illustrate endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of ADC, protein, and linker strategies in unloading and also concisely evaluate practically applicable ADCs. PMID:28814834

  10. Intracellular trafficking of new anticancer therapeutics: antibody-drug conjugates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalim, Muhammad; Chen, Jie; Wang, Shenghao; Lin, Caiyao; Ullah, Saif; Liang, Keying; Ding, Qian; Chen, Shuqing; Zhan, Jinbiao

    2017-01-01

    Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) is a milestone in targeted cancer therapy that comprises of monoclonal antibodies chemically linked to cytotoxic drugs. Internalization of ADC takes place via clathrin-mediated endocytosis, caveolae-mediated endocytosis, and pinocytosis. Conjugation strategies, endocytosis and intracellular trafficking optimization, linkers, and drugs chemistry present a great challenge for researchers to eradicate tumor cells successfully. This inventiveness of endocytosis and intracellular trafficking has given considerable momentum recently to develop specific antibodies and ADCs to treat cancer cells. It is significantly advantageous to emphasize the endocytosis and intracellular trafficking pathways efficiently and to design potent engineered conjugates and biological entities to boost efficient therapies enormously for cancer treatment. Current studies illustrate endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of ADC, protein, and linker strategies in unloading and also concisely evaluate practically applicable ADCs.

  11. Data-driven drug safety signal detection methods in pharmacovigilance using electronic primary care records: A population based study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shang-Ming Zhou

    2017-04-01

    Data-driven analytic methods are a valuable aid to signal detection of ADEs from large electronic health records for drug safety monitoring. This study finds the methods can detect known ADE and so could potentially be used to detect unknown ADE.

  12. Recent advances in delivery of drug-nucleic acid combinations for cancer treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jing; Wang, Yan; Zhu, Yu; Oupický, David

    2013-12-10

    Cancer treatment that uses a combination of approaches with the ability to affect multiple disease pathways has been proven highly effective in the treatment of many cancers. Combination therapy can include multiple chemotherapeutics or combinations of chemotherapeutics with other treatment modalities like surgery or radiation. However, despite the widespread clinical use of combination therapies, relatively little attention has been given to the potential of modern nanocarrier delivery methods, like liposomes, micelles, and nanoparticles, to enhance the efficacy of combination treatments. This lack of knowledge is particularly notable in the limited success of vectors for the delivery of combinations of nucleic acids with traditional small molecule drugs. The delivery of drug-nucleic acid combinations is particularly challenging due to differences in the physicochemical properties of the two types of agents. This review discusses recent advances in the development of delivery methods using combinations of small molecule drugs and nucleic acid therapeutics to treat cancer. This review primarily focuses on the rationale used for selecting appropriate drug-nucleic acid combinations as well as progress in the development of nanocarriers suitable for simultaneous delivery of drug-nucleic acid combinations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Recent Advances in Prostate Cancer Treatment and Drug Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina Nevedomskaya

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Novel drugs, drug sequences and combinations have improved the outcome of prostate cancer in recent years. The latest approvals include abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide and apalutamide which target androgen receptor (AR signaling, radium-223 dichloride for reduction of bone metastases, sipuleucel-T immunotherapy and taxane-based chemotherapy. Adding abiraterone acetate to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT in order to achieve complete androgen blockade has proven highly beneficial for treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer and metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC. Also, ADT together with docetaxel treatment showed significant benefit in mHSPC. Ongoing clinical trials for different subgroups of prostate cancer patients include the evaluation of the second-generation AR antagonists enzalutamide, apalutamide and darolutamide, of inhibitors of the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K pathway, of inhibitors of DNA damage response, of targeted alpha therapy and of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA targeting approaches. Advanced clinical studies with immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited benefits in prostate cancer and more trials are needed to demonstrate efficacy. The identification of improved, personalized treatments will be much supported by the major progress recently made in the molecular characterization of early- and late-stage prostate cancer using “omics” technologies. This has already led to novel classifications of prostate tumors based on gene expression profiles and mutation status, and should greatly help in the choice of novel targeted therapies best tailored to the needs of patients.

  14. Multidisciplinary approach of early breast cancer: The biology applied to radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgier, Céline; Ozsahin, Mahmut; Azria, David

    2010-01-01

    Early breast cancer treatment is based on a multimodality approach with the application of clinical and histological prognostic factors to determine locoregional and systemic treatments. The entire scientific community is strongly involved in the management of this disease: radiologists for screening and early diagnosis, gynecologists, surgical oncologists and radiation oncologists for locoregional treatment, pathologists and biologists for personalized characterization, genetic counselors for BRCA mutation history and medical oncologists for systemic therapies. Recently, new biological tools have established various prognostic subsets of breast cancer and developed predictive markers for miscellaneous treatments. The aim of this article is to highlight the contribution of biological tools in the locoregional management of early breast cancer

  15. FDA Accelerates Testing and Review of Experimental Brain Cancer Drug | FNLCR

    Science.gov (United States)

    An investigational brain cancer drug made with disabled polio virus and manufactured at the Frederick National Lab has won breakthrough status from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fast-track its further refinement and clinical testing.  Br

  16. A spheroid-based 3-D culture model for pancreatic cancer drug testing, using the acid phosphatase assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen, Z.; Liao, Q.; Hu, Y.; You, L.; Zhou, L.; Zhao, Y.

    2013-01-01

    Current therapy for pancreatic cancer is multimodal, involving surgery and chemotherapy. However, development of pancreatic cancer therapies requires a thorough evaluation of drug efficacy in vitro before animal testing and subsequent clinical trials. Compared to two-dimensional culture of cell monolayer, three-dimensional (3-D) models more closely mimic native tissues, since the tumor microenvironment established in 3-D models often plays a significant role in cancer progression and cellular responses to the drugs. Accumulating evidence has highlighted the benefits of 3-D in vitro models of various cancers. In the present study, we have developed a spheroid-based, 3-D culture of pancreatic cancer cell lines MIAPaCa-2 and PANC-1 for pancreatic drug testing, using the acid phosphatase assay. Drug efficacy testing showed that spheroids had much higher drug resistance than monolayers. This model, which is characteristically reproducible and easy and offers rapid handling, is the preferred choice for filling the gap between monolayer cell cultures and in vivo models in the process of drug development and testing for pancreatic cancer

  17. A spheroid-based 3-D culture model for pancreatic cancer drug testing, using the acid phosphatase assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Wen

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Current therapy for pancreatic cancer is multimodal, involving surgery and chemotherapy. However, development of pancreatic cancer therapies requires a thorough evaluation of drug efficacy in vitro before animal testing and subsequent clinical trials. Compared to two-dimensional culture of cell monolayer, three-dimensional (3-D models more closely mimic native tissues, since the tumor microenvironment established in 3-D models often plays a significant role in cancer progression and cellular responses to the drugs. Accumulating evidence has highlighted the benefits of 3-D in vitro models of various cancers. In the present study, we have developed a spheroid-based, 3-D culture of pancreatic cancer cell lines MIAPaCa-2 and PANC-1 for pancreatic drug testing, using the acid phosphatase assay. Drug efficacy testing showed that spheroids had much higher drug resistance than monolayers. This model, which is characteristically reproducible and easy and offers rapid handling, is the preferred choice for filling the gap between monolayer cell cultures and in vivo models in the process of drug development and testing for pancreatic cancer.

  18. Familial transmission of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer in adoptees is related to cancer in biological but not in adoptive parents: a nationwide family study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zöller, Bengt; Li, Xinjun; Sundquist, Jan; Sundquist, Kristina

    2014-09-01

    Familial clustering of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer is well established, but the familial risk of these cancers has not been determined among adoptees. The aim was to disentangle the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the familial transmission of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer. The Swedish Multi-Generation Register was used to follow all adoptees born between 1932 and 1969 (n=70,965) for prostate, breast and colorectal cancer from January 1958 up to December 2010. The risk of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer was estimated in adoptees with at least one biological parent with the same cancer type compared with adoptees without a biological parent with the same cancer type. The risk of cancer was also determined in adoptees with at least one adoptive parent with cancer compared with adoptees with an adoptive parent without cancer. Adoptees with at least one biological parent with prostate, breast or colorectal cancer were more likely to have cancer of the same type than adoptees with biological parents not affected by these respective cancer types (standardised incidence ratio=SIR: 1.8 [95% confidence interval 1.2-2.7], 2.0 [1.6-2.5] and 1.9 [1.2-2.9], respectively). In contrast, adoptees with at least one adoptive parent with prostate, breast or colorectal cancer were not at an increased risk of these respective cancer types (SIR=1.2 [0.94-1.6], 0.97 [0.71-1.3], and 1.1 [0.71-1.5], respectively). The findings of the study support the importance of genetic/biological factors in the familial transmission of prostate, breast and colorectal cancer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Cancer therapy with drug loaded magnetic nanoparticles-magnetic drug targeting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexiou, Christoph; Tietze, Rainer; Schreiber, Eveline; Jurgons, Roland; Richter, Heike; Trahms, Lutz; Rahn, Helene; Odenbach, Stefan; Lyer, Stefan

    2011-01-01

    The aim of magnetic drug targeting (MDT) in cancer therapy is to concentrate chemotherapeutics to a tumor region while simultaneously the overall dose is reduced. This can be achieved with coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles bound to a chemotherapeutic agent. These particles are applied intra arterially close to the tumor region and focused to the tumor by a strong external magnetic field. The interaction of the particles with the field gradient leads to an accumulation in the region of interest (i.e. tumor). The particle enrichment and thereby the drug-load in the tumor during MDT has been proven by several analytical and imaging methods. Moreover, in pilot studies we investigated in an experimental in vivo tumor model the effectiveness of this approach. Complete tumor regressions without any negative side effects could be observed. - Research Highlights: →Iron oxide nanoparticles can be enriched in tumors by external magnetic fields. → Histology evidences the intravasation of particles enter the intracellular space. → Non-invasive imaging techniques can display the spatial arrangement of particles. → HPLC-analysis show outstanding drug enrichment in tumors after MDT.

  20. Cancer therapy with drug loaded magnetic nanoparticles-magnetic drug targeting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alexiou, Christoph, E-mail: c.alexiou@web.d [Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine at the Else Kroener-Fresenius-Stiftung-Professorship (Germany); Tietze, Rainer; Schreiber, Eveline [Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine at the Else Kroener-Fresenius-Stiftung-Professorship (Germany); Jurgons, Roland [Franz Penzoldt Center, University Hospital Erlangen (Germany); Richter, Heike; Trahms, Lutz [PTB Berlin (Germany); Rahn, Helene; Odenbach, Stefan [TU Dresden, Chair of Magnetofluiddynamics, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Lyer, Stefan [Department of Oto-rhino-laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Section for Experimental Oncology and Nanomedicine at the Else Kroener-Fresenius-Stiftung-Professorship (Germany)

    2011-05-15

    The aim of magnetic drug targeting (MDT) in cancer therapy is to concentrate chemotherapeutics to a tumor region while simultaneously the overall dose is reduced. This can be achieved with coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles bound to a chemotherapeutic agent. These particles are applied intra arterially close to the tumor region and focused to the tumor by a strong external magnetic field. The interaction of the particles with the field gradient leads to an accumulation in the region of interest (i.e. tumor). The particle enrichment and thereby the drug-load in the tumor during MDT has been proven by several analytical and imaging methods. Moreover, in pilot studies we investigated in an experimental in vivo tumor model the effectiveness of this approach. Complete tumor regressions without any negative side effects could be observed. - Research Highlights: Iron oxide nanoparticles can be enriched in tumors by external magnetic fields. Histology evidences the intravasation of particles enter the intracellular space. Non-invasive imaging techniques can display the spatial arrangement of particles. HPLC-analysis show outstanding drug enrichment in tumors after MDT.