[Abbas]

Some interesting science:

CTV.ca News Staff

A small, non-toxic molecule may soon be available as an effective treatment for many forms of cancer, including lung, breast and brain tumours, say University of Alberta researchers.

In findings that "astounded" the researchers, the molecule known as DCA was shown to shrink lung, breast and brain tumours in both animal and human tissue experiments.

The study was published Tuesday in the journal Cancer Cell.

"I think DCA can be selective for cancer because it attacks a fundamental process in cancer development that is unique to cancer cells," said Dr. Evangelos Michelakis, a professor at the University of Alberta department of medicine and a key study author.

The molecule appears to repair the damage that cancer cells cause to mitochondria, the units that convert food into energy.

"Cancer cells actively suppress their mitochondria, which alters their metabolism, and this appears to offer cancer cells a significant advantage in growth compared to normal cells, as well as protection from many standard chemotherapies," Michelakis said in a written statement.

As mitochondria regulate cell death, cancer cells can resist being killed off.

For years, DCA -- or dichloroacetate -- has been used to treat children with inborn errors of metabolism due to mitochondrial diseases.

Until recently, researchers believed damage to mitochondria in cancer cells was permanent.

But Michelakis questioned this theory and began testing DCA, which activates a critical enzyme, as a way to "revive" cancer-affected mitochondria.

He says one of the most exciting things about this compound is that it might be able to treat many different forms of cancer because they all suppress mitochondrial function.

Therefore, DCA can primarily affect the cancer cells without affecting the normal ones.

Researchers also say DCA may prove to be effective because it is a small compound, thus easily absorbed in the body.

After oral intake, it can reach areas in the body that other drugs cannot, making it possible to treat cancer of the brain, for example.

In addition, because DCA has been used in both healthy people and ailing patients with mitochondrial diseases, researchers know it is a relatively non-toxic molecule that can be immediately tested in patients with cancer.

The compound, which is sold both as powder and as a liquid, is widely available at chemistry stores.

Furthermore, the compound is not patented, nor is it owned by any drug firm, so it would be an inexpensive drug to administer.

However, because DCA is not patented, Michelakis expressed concern that it may be difficult to find funding from private investors to test the compound in clinical trials.

"This preliminary research is encouraging and offers hope to thousands of Canadians and all those around the world who are afflicted by cancer, as it accelerates our understanding of and action around targeted cancer treatments," said Dr. Philip Branton, scientific director of the Institute of Cancer Research.

[-Mario-]

I posted that on the News link this am

[juggernaut]

cool