(Press-News.org) Contact information: Robin Lally
rlally@ucm.rutgers.edu
732-932-7084 x652
Rutgers University
Surviving ovarian cancer: Rutgers scientists attack drug resistant cancer cells
New drug delivery system successfully treats advanced-stage ovarian cancer in mice
Scientists at Rutgers University have developed a targeted drug delivery system that they believe could make ovarian cancer more treatable and increase survival rates for the most deadly gynecological cancer in the United States.
Tamara Minko, professor in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and Lorna Rodriguez, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, say because there is not a good screening method for ovarian cancer, most women with the disease are not diagnosed until after it has metastasized to other organs and surgery and chemotherapy are not as effective.
"Once the ovarian cancer becomes drug resistant we cannot cure it," says Rodriguez an oncologist who provides treatment to ovarian cancer patients. "Circumventing the development of drug resistance is a reasonable approach and very much needed."
The main reason for advanced-stage ovarian cancer, they say, is an out of control protein CD44, which enables cancerous tumors to proliferate and become resistant to conventional drug treatments. The result: a five-year survival rate for patients with advanced-stage ovarian cancer that is only 30 percent.
In a new study published in Clinical Cancer Research, Minko and Rodriguez provide results of animal research in which the cancer is attacked at the genetic level by using small, inhibiting RNA molecules that directly target and decrease the excess CD44 protein in cancer cells while simultaneously treating patients with the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel. This allows cells within the cancerous tumors to be successfully treated even at an advanced stage.
"We expect that the proposed treatment will be especially effective in advanced stages of ovarian cancers, where there are many cancer stem cells in the tumors that resist conventional drug treatment," says Minko.
In their research, scientists at Rutgers created animal models that closely resemble the cancerous tumors found in women with ovarian cancer by injecting tumor tissues obtained from gynecological cancer patients treated at the Cancer Institute into laboratory mice. They then used a combination of chemotherapy and gene therapy to target the cancer cells directly in order to inhibit growth and prevent metastasis while sparing normal healthy cells. The treatment killed cancerous cells in the mice, shrunk their tumors and left them with fewer side effects.
Since the CD44 protein is expressed on the surface of many cancer stem cells, the approach developed by Rutgers scientists may help in the treatment of other types of cancers. The next step for ovarian cancer research would be to develop a drug for human consumption that could be used in clinical trials. This, they say, could lead to new pharmacological cancer treatments and increase the survival rate of the deadly disease.
### END
Surviving ovarian cancer: Rutgers scientists attack drug resistant cancer cells
New drug delivery system successfully treats advanced-stage ovarian cancer in mice
2013-12-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
A stopwatch for electron flashes
2013-12-09
A stopwatch for electron flashes
Physicists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich and the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics measure the duration of energetic electron pulses using laser fields.
A stopwatch made of light can determine ...
Study finds rivers and streams release more greenhouse gas than all lakes
2013-12-09
Study finds rivers and streams release more greenhouse gas than all lakes
Rivers and streams release carbon dioxide at a rate five times greater than the world's lakes and reservoirs combined, contrary to common belief.
Research from the University of Waterloo ...
Hard rock life
2013-12-09
Hard rock life
Scientists are digging deep into the Earth's surface collecting census data on the microbial denizens of the hardened rocks. What they're finding is that, even miles deep and halfway across the globe, many of these communities are somehow ...
NASA's IRIS provides unprecedented images of sun
2013-12-09
NASA's IRIS provides unprecedented images of sun
The region located between the surface of the sun and its atmosphere has been revealed as a more violent place than previously understood, according to images and data from NASA's newest solar observatory, ...
Math models enhance current therapies for coronary heart disease
2013-12-09
Math models enhance current therapies for coronary heart disease
Equations help explain key parameters of stents that combat artherosclerosis
Coronary heart disease accounts for 18% of deaths in the United States every year. The ...
Survey of supposed deep-sea chemical munitions dump off Southern California
2013-12-09
Survey of supposed deep-sea chemical munitions dump off Southern California
Preliminary survey reveals trash and 55-gallon drums, but no chemical weapons
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Since World War II, US nautical charts have shown seven "chemical munitions ...
System 90L no longer suspect for development
2013-12-09
System 90L no longer suspect for development
The low pressure area known as "System 90L" in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean is no longer suspect for tropical or subtropical development. On Sunday, December 8, System 90L's showers had diminished. The low was non-tropical ...
Mapping the demise of the dinosaurs
2013-12-09
Mapping the demise of the dinosaurs
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet crashed into a shallow sea near what is now the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. The resulting firestorm and global dust cloud caused the ...
Genetic flaw in males triggers onset of liver cancer, diabetes
2013-12-09
Genetic flaw in males triggers onset of liver cancer, diabetes
Michigan State University researchers have uncovered a genetic deficiency in males that can trigger the development of one of the most common types of liver cancer and forms of diabetes.
The ...
Biomarker linked to aggressive breast cancers, poor outcomes in African-Americans
2013-12-09
Biomarker linked to aggressive breast cancers, poor outcomes in African-Americans
ATLANTA — Among African-American women with breast cancer, increased levels of the protein HSET were associated with worse breast cancer outcomes, according to ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Robotic space rovers keep getting stuck. UW engineers have figured out why
New research shows how immigration status can become a death sentence during public health crisis
University of Toronto Engineering researchers develop safer alternative non-stick coating
Good vibrations: Scientists use imaging technology to visualize heat
More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji’s agroforests
New global study shows freshwater is disappearing at alarming rates
Scientists create an artificial cell capable of navigating its environment using chemistry alone
A little salt is good for battery health
Deep-sea fish confirmed as a significant source of ocean carbonate
How to keep kids with eating disorders home after hospital stay? Therapy
Sex differences affect efficacy of opioid overdose treatment
Aligning AI with Human Values and Well-Being
Engineering the next generation of experimental physics
The scuba diving industry is funding marine ecosystem conservation and employing locals
BATMAN brings TCR therapy out of the shadows
Surrogates more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness, study finds
Columbia Engineering researchers turn dairy byproduct into tissue repair gel
Global estimates of lives and life-years saved by COVID-19 vaccination during 2020-2024
Potential trade-offs of proposed cuts to the NIH
New research simulates cancer cell behavior
COVID, over 2.5 million deaths prevented worldwide thanks to vaccines. One life saved for every 5,400 doses administered
Scuba diving generates up to $20 billion annually
Scientists advance efforts to create ‘virtual cell lab’ as testing ground for future research with live cells
How DNA packaging controls the “genome’s guardian”
Simplified models, deeper insights: Coarse-grained models unlock new potential for ionic liquid simulations
Gorillas’ personal circumstances shape their aggression towards groupmates
Which signalling pathways in the cell lead to possible therapies for Parkinson's disease
Identifying landslide threats using hydrological predictors
First graders who use more educational media spend more time reading
Exploring the meaning in life through phenomenology and philosophy
[Press-News.org] Surviving ovarian cancer: Rutgers scientists attack drug resistant cancer cellsNew drug delivery system successfully treats advanced-stage ovarian cancer in mice