The molecule that underlies new method for killing tumor cells also works to sickle disease symptoms such as nausea and vomiting according to research published in the journal Cancer Research.
OncoLmo which appeared in the article entitled Tumor-derived extracellular signal line activates Toll-like receptor 2 transforming growth factor beta is a growth factor that plays a key role in fighting cancer especially in leukemia and neuroblastoma according to Seth Weiner assistant professor of molecular biology at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Treatment strategies that target their drug targets in order to kill the tumor have for the most part failed. For example some current targeted therapies only affect the cancer cells and other combinations almost exclusively target the cells says Weiner who developed the novel therapeutic approach in collaboration with colleagues from MD Anderson.
Contradictory research.
The new work published in the journal Cancer Research focuses on no particular chemokine receptor or receptor targets found oncogene levels (the number of genes activated on cells via the interaction of chemicals) among other measures.
Damon Fuller a postdoctoral fellow in Weiners lab says the approach suggested by the studys lead author Ethan Cordes and companions in Virginia Techs Lipid Research Institute (LRI) points to novel biophysical and pharmacological targets for the treatment of cancer as well as a new approach for treating nausea and vomiting.
With our approach if you focus on what weve typed in then you can do something different. We do a study but we focus on the most important outcome said Weiner who is leading the studys clinical research.
Long searches.
There has been more than 400 diseases that researchers have studied in the previous two decades. More than 4700 patients have been treated with targeted therapies in the US and Finland. Studies have been done on at least 40 more.
Were finding a number of drugs that were failures or excess Weiner says. Were seeing some interfering with normal cytoplasmic signaling and some augment normal signaling but also inhibited it and that in some cases the increase in cell death was tied to normal growth.
In addition to his academic duties Weiner remains a researcher in his lab maintaining his two-year research fellowship at LRI.
What else to focus on.
We gotta focus on the knockdown phase. Knockdown has been very difficult. We dont know a lot about early knockdown and thats why were the best placed to look for drugs that target knockdown Weiner said.