Cheap and sensitive test for a key prostate cancer marker

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Sep 162015

The cavitand-coated micro-beads are able to sweep up the amino acid sarcosine from urine samples

Cheap and sensitive test for a key prostate cancer marker

Supramolecular-coated magnetic beads offer a cheap alternative to current early-stage monitoring techniques

Scientists in Italy have developed a cheap and disposable sensor that can detect the presence of the prostate cancer biomarker sarcosine in urine.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2015/09/cheap-sensor-prostate-cancer

////////////Cheap and sensitive test, key prostate cancer marker

Some new cancer drugs are available in other countries, but not in India. BY E. Kumar Sharma, Dec 22, 2013

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Mar 102015

E. Kumar Sharma Follow @EKumarSharma Edition:Dec 22, 2013

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/some-new-cancer-drugs-still-not-available-in-india/1/201095.html

Cancer, Chemistry, and the Cell: Molecules that Interact with the Neurotensin Receptors

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Sep 262014

Cancer, Chemistry, and the Cell: Molecules that Interact with the Neurotensin Receptors

R.M. Myers,* J.W. Shearman, M.O. Kitching, A. Ramos-Montoya, D.E. Neal, S.V. Ley, ACS Chem. Biol.2009, 4, 503-525.

see

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/cb900038e

The literature covering neurotensin (NT) and its signalling pathways, receptors, and biological profile is complicated by the fact that the discovery of three NT receptor subtypes has come to light only in recent years. Moreover, a lot of this literature explores NT in the context of the central nervous system and behavioral studies. However, there is now good evidence that the up-regulation of NT is intimately involved in cancer development and progression. This Review aims to summarize the isolation, cloning, localization, and binding properties of the accepted receptor subtypes (NTR1, NTR2, and NTR3) and the molecules known to bind at these receptors. The growing role these targets are playing in cancer research is also discussed. We hope this Review will provide a useful overview and a one-stop resource for new researchers engaged in this field at the chemistry−biology interface.

Keywords:

Agonist: A molecule that binds to a specific receptor and triggers a response in the cell mimicking the action of an endogenous ligand.; Antagonist: A molecule that binds to a specific receptor yet does not provoke a biological response itself upon binding but blocks or dampens the agonist-mediated response.; Homology and identity: Measures of similarity between protein sequences. Homology implies an evolutionary link and is qualitative, whereas identity is quantifiable.; Site-directed mutagenesis: A process where specific single nucleotide changes within a gene can be made resulting in the change of a specific amino acid within a protein sequence.; Prognostic factor: A biomarker that can be used to estimate the chance of recovery from a disease or the chance of the disease recurring.; Predictive factor: A biomarker used to predict the response of a cancer to a given therapy.

Rhodium Expands Collection Of Metal-Based Anticancer Agents

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Sep 092014

20140813lnp1-dirhodium

ACS Meeting News: New class of inorganic reagents may provide less toxic and more versatile alternatives to popular platinum-based drug

More than half of all cancer patients receive a platinum-based drug such as cisplatin as part of their chemotherapy. But the compounds have dangerous side effects and many tumors develop resistance to the drugs, prompting chemists to seek out less toxic and more selective alternatives.

In one of the latest examples, Amanda David, a graduate student in chemistry professor Kim R. Dunbar’s group at Texas A&M University, described a family of promising dirhodium complexes during a symposium on bioinorganic chemistry sponsored by the Division of Inorganic Chemistry at the American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco this week.

The Texas A&M team developed the dirhodium complexes with Claudia Turro at Ohio State University. In cell culture experiments, the compounds exhibited lower toxicities and were as effective or better than cisplatin against lung cancer cells

read at

http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/08/Rhodium-Expands-Collection-Metal-Based.html

(J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, DOI: 10.1021/ja503774m).http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/ja503774m

The new dirhodium compound [Rh₂(μ-O₂CCH₃)₂(η¹-O₂CCH₃)(phenbodipy)(H₂O)₃][O₂CCH₃] (1), which incorporates a bodipy fluorescent tag, was prepared and studied by confocal fluorescence microscopy in human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cells. It was determined that 1 localizes mainly in lysosomes and mitochondria with no apparent nuclear localization in the 1–100 μM range. These results support the conclusion that cellular organelles rather than the nucleus can be targeted by modification of the ligands bound to the Rh₂⁴⁺ core. This is the first study of a fluorophore-labeled metal–metal bonded compound, work that opens up new venues for the study of intracellular distribution of dinuclear transition metal anticancer complexes.

Syn of cisplatin

The synthesis of cisplatin is a classic in inorganic chemistry. Starting from potassium tetrachloroplatinate(II), K₂[PtCl₄], the first NH₃ ligand is added to any of the four equivalent positions, but the second NH₃ could be added cis or trans to the bound amine ligand. Because Cl⁻ has a larger trans effect than NH₃, the second amine preferentially substitutes trans to a chloride ligand, and therefore cis to the original amine. The trans effect of the halides follows the order I^–>Br^–>Cl^–, therefore the synthesis is conducted using [PtI₄]²⁻ to ensure high yield and purity of the cis isomer, followed by conversion of the PtI₂(NH₃)₂ into PtCl₂(NH₃)₂, as first described by Dhara.^[2]^[3]

2 Dhara SC (1970). Indian Journal of Chemistry 8: 193–134.

3 Alderden RA, Hall MD, Hambley TW (2006). “The Discovery and Development of Cisplatin”. J. Chem. Ed. 83 (5): 728–724. doi:10.1021/ed083p728.

Keywords: anticancer drug, photodynamic therapy, rhodium complex

Turkish man pleads guilty to importing illegal cancer drugs

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Aug 182014

August 15, 2014

Release

Sabahaddin Akman, owner of the Istanbul, Turkey, firm Ozay Pharmaceuticals, has pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling misbranded and adulterated cancer treatment drugs into the United States.

Akman pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, in St. Louis, Missouri, where he initially shipped his illegal drugs. The drugs did not meet the FDA’s standards and had not been approved for distribution in the United States.

The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations coordinated a complex, multi-layered international investigation that led to Akman’s arrest in Puerto Rico in January 2014. The investigation identified Akman and his company as a source of Altuzan, the Turkish version of the cancer treatment drug Avastin.

“These criminals exploited our most vulnerable patients when they arranged for their illicit drugs to be brought into the United States and used to treat cancer patients. We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who prey on our ill, susceptible patients,” said Philip J. Walsky, acting director of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations. “We commend our colleagues – international, national, state, and local – whose contributions helped bring this case to a successful conclusion.”

Akman, along with his employee, Ozkan Semizoglu, obtained the illicit drugs and then used shipping labels to conceal the illegal nature of the shipments, including customs declarations falsely describing the contents as gifts. They also broke large drug shipments into several smaller packages to reduce the likelihood of seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities.

Along with the FDA and Europol, the international operation involved several German government offices: the Bonn prosecutor; the Federal Criminal Police, the Dusseldorf police, and the German State Criminal Police. Special agents of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service assigned to the U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Office in Ankara, Turkey, and the U.S. Consulate General’s Overseas Criminal Investigations Branch in Istanbul, Turkey also played key roles in the successful resolution of this case.

Black Fungus Health Benefits (Anticancer Remedy)

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Jun 212014

Black fungus is a very common type of edible mushroom which is found in Nigeria and other parts of the world. It grows on trees mostly in the rural areas due to the vast untapped vegetation found there. –

See more at: http://www.dobbyssignature.com/2012/06/black-fungus-health-benefits-anticancer.html#sthash.MrRk0WH7.dpuf

http://www.dobbyssignature.com/2012/06/black-fungus-health-benefits-anticancer.html

Tug Of War Over Promising Cancer Drug Candidate Drug Discovery: Structure error threatens existing patent and clinical trials

cancer 1 Response »

May 222014

Misassigned (top) and corrected (bottom) structures of bioactive TIC10.

Tug Of War Over Promising Cancer Drug Candidate

Drug Discovery: Structure error threatens existing patent and clinical trials

A promising anticancer agent about to enter human clinical trials is on the hook because of a chemical structure error discovered by scientists at Scripps Research Institute California. The patented compound, known as TIC10 or ONC201, is owned by the biotech firm Oncoceutics. However, Scripps has applied for a patent on the corrected structure and has licensed it exclusively to another company, Sorrento Therapeutics.

The reanalysis and relicensing could lead to an unprecedented legal case—the first in which a structural reassignment puts in jeopardy a patent and clinical trials.

Lee Schalop, Oncoceutics’ chief business officer, tells C&EN that the chemical structure is not relevant to Oncoceutics’ underlying invention. Plans for the clinical trials of TIC10 are moving forward.

read at

http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/web/2014/05/Tug-War-Over-Promising-Cancer.html

MIT chemists design nanoparticles that can deliver three cancer drugs at a time.

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Apr 222014

Targeting Cancer with a Triple Threat | MIT Technology Review

MIT chemists design nanoparticles that can deliver three cancer drugs at a time.

Delivering chemotherapy drugs in nanoparticle form could help reduce side effects by targeting the drugs directly to the tumors. In recent years, scientists have developed nanoparticles that deliver one or two chemotherapy drugs, but it has been difficult to design particles that can carry any more than that in a precise ratio.

Now MIT chemists have devised a new way to build such nanoparticles, making it much easier to include three or more different drugs. In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the researchers showed that they could load their particles with three drugs commonly used to treat ovarian cancer.

read at

http://www.technologyreview.com/aroundmit/526711/targeting-cancer-with-a-triple-threat/

TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM

One-Two Nanopunch For Difficult-To-Treat Breast Cancer Drug Delivery: Layered nanoparticles deliver a gene silencer and a drug to shrink tumors

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Apr 212014

Illustration of layer-by-layer synthesis of nanoparticles for treating breast cancer tumors

Double Duty

To deliver a one-two nanopunch to triple-negative breast cancer tumors, researchers start with a lipid-coated sphere filled with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin (left). Then they add alternating layers of poly-L-arginine and an siRNA sequence (center), capped off by a layer of hyaluronic acid (right), which disguises the particle from the body’s immune system.

read at

http://cen.acs.org/articles/91/web/2013/10/One-Two-Nanopunch-DifficultTreat-Breast.html

Women with triple-negative breast cancer, a rare but aggressive form of the disease, often find that it is difficult to treat. An early diagnosis allows more treatment options, but women with this type of cancer generally have a lower survival rate than those with other types of breast cancers. To tackle the disease, a team of researchers has developed a nanomedicine that delivers a one-two punch to tumors that weakens their defenses and obliterates them (ACS Nano 2013, DOI: 10.1021/nn4047925).

The cancer fighting benefits of whey protein.lactoferrin

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Mar 292014

lactoferrin

Mon. Mar. 24, 2014 by Dr. Matthew Roe

http://www.naturalhealth365.com/food_news/0943_whey_protein.html

(NaturalHealth365) There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that whey protein can support the immune system, while killing cancer cells. Whey has multi-factorial benefits for cancer patients according to validated studies. It has a broad spectrum of compounds, which protect healthy cells and suppresses cancer cells.

Why should cancer patients consider whey protein?

Simply put, whey’s lactoferrin is a cancer killer. Lactoferrin activates the innate immune system cells like the neutrophils, macrophages and T-cells. These are the first line of defense against harmful pathogens – including cancer cells.

You see, cancer cells have a highly negative membrane charge which attracts lactoferrin, while healthy normal cells have a neutral charge. Lactoferrin is attracted to the cancer cells, attaches to them and triggers a process that kills the cancer cell; as well as blocking angiogenesis – the growth of blood vessels that feed cancer cells.

– See more at: http://www.naturalhealth365.com/food_news/0943_whey_protein.html

Lactoferrin (LF), also known as lactotransferrin (LTF), is a multifunctional protein of the transferrin family. Lactoferrin is a globular glycoprotein with a molecular mass of about 80 kDa that is widely represented in various secretory fluids, such as milk, saliva, tears, andnasal secretions. Lactoferrin is also present in secondary granules of PMN and is secreted by some acinar cells. Lactoferrin can be purified from milk or produced recombinantly. Human colostrum (“first milk”) has the highest concentration, followed by human milk, then cow milk (150 mg/L).

Lactoferrin is one of the components of the immune system of the body; it has antimicrobial activity (bacteriocide, fungicide) and is part of the innate defense, mainly at mucoses. In particular, lactoferrin provides antibacterial activity to human infants. Lactoferrin interacts withDNA and RNA, polysaccharides and heparin, and shows some of its biological functions in complexes with these ligands.