 |
|
Experimental anti-cancer synthetic molecule targets tumor cell growth and angiogenesis
June 18, 2008A recent study conducted by three French CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) laboratories describes a new candidate anti-cancer drug, named HB-19. In contrast to conventional anti-cancer drugs, HB-19 has a dual mechanism of action by its capacity to target independently both tumor cell growth, as well as tumor angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels which bring necessary nutrients and oxygen to the tumor mass). The molecular target of HB-19 is nucleolin expressed on the surface of all activated cells, in particular rapidly growing tumor cells and endothelial cells that play a key role in angiogenesis. The results of this work, directed by Ara Hovanessian, are published in the June 18 edition of PLoS ONE.
Nucleolin is one of the major proteins of the nucleus, but it is also expressed on the cell surface where it serves as a binding protein for variety of ligands implicated in cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, mitogenesis and angiogenesis. The specific binding of HB-19 to surface-expressed nucleolin leads to internalization of the complex followed by degradation of this multifunctional protein. Using various in vitro and in vivo experimental models, the authors show that HB-19 is a potent inhibitor of tumor cell growth and angiogenesis. In mice grafted with human breast tumor cells, HB-19 treatment markedly suppresses the progression of tumor development, and in some cases eliminates measurable tumors while displaying no toxicity to normal tissue.
The in vivo antitumoral action of HB-19 in this mouse model (i.e. inhibition of tumor development) is comparable to that of 5-fluorouracil, a drug that is used to treat several types of human cancer. However, 5-fluorouracil has toxic effects on circulating white blood cells whereas HB-19 treatment demonstrated no observable toxicity in this study. Another possible advantage of HB-19 over existing anti-cancer drugs is its reproducible synthesis by conventional techniques to generate a stable product that is readily soluble in physiological solutions.
The direct action of HB-19 on tumor growth and angiogenesis fulfills the criteria for an efficient anticancer drug, since combination therapy targeting both of these events is considered an optimal strategy in cancer management. In view of such dual inhibitory action, reproducible synthesis, high stability, selective tissue retention, and in vivo lack of toxicity, HB-19 may be a promising candidate for evaluation in future clinical trials.
Public Library of Science
The direct action of HB-19 on tumor growth and angiogenesis fulfills the criteria for an efficient anticancer drug, since combination therapy targeting both of these events is considered an optimal strategy in cancer management. In view of such dual inhibitory action, reproducible synthesis, high stability, selective tissue retention, and in vivo lack of toxicity, HB-19 may be a promising candidate for evaluation in future clinical trials.
Public Library of Science
Angiogenesis News and Current Angiogenesis Events RSSAngiotensin inhibitors and receptor blockers linked to lower risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer
The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with a reduced risk of basal cell or squamous cell skin cancers in U.S. veterans, researchers report in the August 26 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Normalizing tumor vessels to improve cancer therapy
Chemotherapy drugs often never reach the tumors they're intended to treat, and radiation therapy is not always effective, because the blood vessels feeding the tumors are abnormal-"leaky and twisty" in the words of the late Judah Folkman, MD, founder of the Vascular Biology program at Children's Hospital Boston.
Cancer therapy: A role for MAPK inhibitors combined with mTORC1 inhibitors
Nearly a decade ago, while it was being tested as an immunosuppressive agent to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, the drug rapamycin was also discovered to have anti-tumor properties. Since then, several rapamycin analogs known as mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) inhibitors have been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of various types of cancer.
Drugs to inhibit blood vessel growth show promise in rat model of deadly brain tumor
In a landmark study, Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee report that drugs used to inhibit a specific fatty acid in rat brains with glioblastoma-like tumors not only reduced new blood vessel growth and tumor size dramatically, but also prolonged survival. The study is the featured cover story of the August, 2008 Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism.
Gladstone scientists identify single microRNA that controls blood vessel development
Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and UCSF have identified a key regulatory factor that controls development of the human vascular system, the extensive network of arteries, veins, and capillaries that allow blood to reach all tissues and organs.
Vitamin A pushes breast cancer to form blood vessel cells
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that vitamin A, when applied to breast cancer cells, turns on genes that can push stem cells embedded in a tumor to morph into endothelial cells. These cells can then build blood vessels to link up to the body's blood supply, promoting further tumor growth.
New oral angiogenesis inhibitor offers potential nontoxic therapy for a wide range of cancers
The first oral, broad-spectrum angiogenesis inhibitor, specially formulated through nanotechnology, shows promising anticancer results in mice, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston.
Complex Changes in the Brain's Vascular System Occur after Menopause
Many women experience menopausal changes in their body including hot flashes, moodiness and fatigue, but the changes they don't notice can be more dangerous.
Fruits, vegetables and teas may protect smokers from lung cancer, UCLA researchers report
Tobacco smokers who eat three servings of fruits and vegetables per day and drink green or black tea may be protecting themselves from lung cancer, according to a first-of-its-kind study by UCLA cancer researchers.
Old antibiotic may find new life as a stroke treatment
Minocycline appears to reduce stroke damage in multiple ways - inhibiting white blood cells and enzymes that, at least acutely, can destroy brain tissue and blood vessels, respectively, says Dr. David Hess, chair of the Department of Neurology in the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.
More Angiogenesis News Articles
 | Dr. Folkman's War: Angiogenesis and the Struggle to Defeat Cancer by Robert Cooke Early in 1998, New York Times science reporter and author Gina Kolata happened to be seated at a banquet next to the Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson. When Kolata asked Watson what was new in the world of science, he replied, "Judah Folkman and angiogenesis, that's what's new. Judah is going to cure cancer in two years." Folkman, a longtime physician and medical researcher at Harvard... |
 | Antiangiogenic Cancer Therapy The targeting of tumor angiogenesis has evolved into one of the most widely pursued therapeutic strategies in cancer research. This work promotes the idea that an understanding of the molecular and cellular regulation of angiogenesis will lead to optimal therapeutic strategies and positive clinical results. It compiles the work of leading experts to explore angiogenesis inhibitors under clinical... |
 | Angiogenesis in Inflammation: Mechanisms and Clinical Correlates (Progress in Inflammation Research) Angiogenesis is an essential component of inflammation and its resolution. This volume provides up-to-date information on the latest developments in the pathology, mechanisms and therapy of angiogenesis dependent inflammatory disease. Recent years have seen large advances in angiogenesis research, especially in oncology. Traditionally mechanisms in inflammation angiogenesis were inferred from... |
 | Methods in Endothelial Cell Biology (Springer Lab Manuals) Endothelial cell biology has developed into a vibrant discipline and has become a critical instrument to study several disease processes on the cellular and molecular level. It is now widely recognized that dysfunctions of normal endothelial cell homeostasis are involved in some of the most important human diseases, including ischemic heart diseases, hypertension, atherosclerosis, tumors,... |
 | Angiogenesis Assays: A Critical Appraisal of Current Techniques Angiogenesis Assays: A Critical Appraisal of Current Techniques describes in detail the in vitro and in vivo assays currently being used to study angiogenesis, including the provision of protocols. The chapters are written by leading scientists who use these techniques in their angiogenesis research programs and who deliver here a critical appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses. Divided into... |
 | Angiogenesis in Health and Disease: Basic Mechanisms and Clinical Applications by Gabor Rubanyi Outlines strategies for stimulating capillary formation in hypoxia and ischemia and inhibiting it in cancer, diabetes, and chronic inflammation. This state-of-the-science reference highlights recent progress in the ways to promote formation of new blood vessels in ischemic/hypoxic tissue and the means to stifle capillary growth and development in solid tumors, diabetic retinopathy, and chronic... |
 | Angiogenesis: An Integrative Approach from Science to Medicine Dr. Judah Folkman, father of angiogenesis , (1933-2008) was the Director of the Vascular Biology Program, Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery, and Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard University's Boston Children's Hospital. In the 1971 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, he proposed the theory that tumor growth is angiogenesis dependent. This premise was the basis of this field of... |
| Toward an Understanding of Angiogenesis: Search and Discovery by M.D. Judah Folkman 27 pp reprint of an article from "Perspectives in Biology and Medicine", Volume 29, Number 1, Autumn... | |
 | Cancer and Inflammation (Progress in Inflammation Research) How are cancer and inflammation interrelated mechanistically and clinically? Though extensive literature exists on the topic "Cancer and Inflammation", there are relatively few texts that have truly integrated the two in spite of the many common mechanisms shared by their processes. Certainly, areas such as cytokines, growth factors, proliferation, signal transduction and angiogenesis, for... |
 | Retinal and Choroidal Angiogenesis Retinal and choroidal angiogenesis are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss in developed countries. For this reason, ocular angiogenesis is an intensely studied process, and the field is advancing at an astounding pace. It has become increasingly difficult to manage the vast amount of information generated by the growing group of interested investigators, thus a resource is needed that... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |