Scientists Find Anti-Cancer Agent in South Pacific Soil
Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the international Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program have been busy trying to unlock the healing secrets of an unusual bacteria discovered in soil samples taken from the volcanic regions of Easter Island.
The bacteria produced a substance known as rapamycin, which was initially shown to be an effective anti-fungal agent. Things really got interesting when drug makers discovered that rapamycin also helped prevent organ rejection in transplant patients by suppressing their immune systems.
Now researchers are studying ways to harness the properties of rapamycin to develop molecularly targeted therapies for various cancers. The team’s preclinical trials with tumor cultures and mouse models have already shown rapamycin has the ability to effectively inhibit the progression of diseases such as rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and one form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
A report in the online edition of Pediatric Blood and Cancer details the team’s progress to date. More testing is already in the works according to the report’s lead author,
“During the next stage of testing we will combine rapamycin with standard chemotherapy drugs to see if there are combinations that work particularly well against specific cancers. But the greatest potential for improving treatment might be combining rapamycin and other molecularly targeted drugs in specific ways according to the genetic characteristics of the cancer and of the child.”
Peter Houghton, PhD
Molecular Pharmacology Chair
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Source: St Jude Children’s Research Hospital News
Related Links: Lymphoma Research Foundation
Related Podcast: “Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: From Diagnosis to Therapy” from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Tags: sirolimus, immunosuppressant
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