This is the potentially life-saving update that The Debrief explains to us: researchers from Northwestern University (Illinois, United States) have succeeded in developing a drug commonly used in chemotherapy and turning it into what they describe as a potentially life-saving drug. ‘targeted and potent cancer killer’. 5-fluorouracil has undergone an extraordinary transformation operation because according to scientists, its potency will multiply by 10,000 thanks to their work.
The achievement is detailed in a new study, which reveals how scientists developed a new treatment using nanostructures known as spherical nucleic acid (SNA), which allow the drug to be woven into strands of DNA instead of being delivered through the bloodstream.
The team explains that the new ANS-based drug shows a remarkable ability to penetrate leukemia cells in particular, with up to 12.5 times greater effectiveness than current therapies. This would make the new drug 20,000 times more effective against leukemia cells.
Goodbye side effects
Overall, the team reports that the new ANS-based drug can reduce the rate of cancer progression by 59. Central to the Northwestern team’s success is the burgeoning field of structural nanomedicine, which allows researchers to exploit the structure and composition of nanomedicines to direct their interactions with our bodies.
Other treatments of this type are currently in the clinical trial phase, which could provide a promising future in the fight against other diseases. Currently the treatment is only carried out on animals; Therefore, the human trial phase will be very important. “This will result in more effective chemotherapy, better response rates and fewer side effects”said Chad A. Mirkin, research director, in a press release. “That is always the goal of any cancer treatment.”
If chemotherapy usually has many side effects, this is mainly because the drugs used have poor solubility and are difficult to dissolve in the blood to penetrate cells. This was the case with classic 5-fluorouracil, but the scientific team had the idea to use ANS to overcome the problem and directly insert the molecule into DNA strands.
“Rather than having to force its way into cells, ANS is naturally taken up by these receptors”summarized Chad A. Mirkin in a press release. A gentle breakthrough that could lead to a revolution in the fight against cancer and other invasive diseases.
