A new study has found a proof-of-concept evidence that can potentially treat cancer. The potential drug treatment is based on a Trojan horse approach where a prodrug carries the potent chemotherapeutics into the cancer cells to destroy it. The study is a collaboration of experts coming from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Johns Hopkins University.
Trojan Horse Approach
The researchers from JHU have developed a prodrug which is a Mesenchymal stem cell that can be used as a carrier of the microparticles loaded with chemotherapy drug. The prodrug is specifically activated by the prostate cells so targeting those prostate tumors is possible.
According to Sciencedaily, Jeffrey Karp, PhD, the BWH senior author, said, "In cancer therapeutics, one of the great challenges is finding how to specifically deliver high doses of chemotherapeutics to a tumor, but minimize the systemic toxicity."
Treating a prostate cancer can be very hard since the prostate cancer tumors are composed of many different cells clumping together. Treating those specific cancer cells is a very big challenge according to experts. Basing on the new study, the concept of the drug application can potentially treat prostate cancer. It's because it can directly treat those specific cancer cells with the Trojan horse approach.
Safer To Use
John Isaacs, PhD, the JHU senior author of the study explained: "The prodrug only becomes toxic in the presence of the tumor microenvironment, which adds another layer of specificity to this targeted delivery system."
It's been centuries since scientists and experts in the field of medicine started to find the cure to this silent killer disease. The evolution of cancer treatment is gradual but there's always a new breakthrough.
Even though chemotherapy was already developed in the modern times to cure many types of cancer, it is still not perfected yet. The researchers involved in the study has high hopes to improve their newly discovered way of treatment not just for cancer but also for neurodegenerative diseases.
