Scientists from Cambridge University have developed a new approach to combating cancer, which intensifies the body's immune response, especially on the site of a tumor, avoiding healthy tissue damage. The results of the study were published in the Nature Chemistry (Natchem) magazine.
Sting's intracellular mechanism, a system that causes a threat to the immune response, plays an important role in the study. Sting activators have already proved their efficiency in cancer therapy, but their use is limited due to serious side effects when entering healthy organs.
In order to eliminate this risk, scientists have created a system of "preview" system. Each component is safe on your own and inactive to be out of the tumor. One component is "locked" and becomes active only when he interacts with the β-gluconidase enzyme, a substance that is almost exclusively encountered in the tumor tissue. Then it reacts with the second component, and together they generate a active compound, which causes sting and promotes the immune response.
"It's like sending two secure packages to the body that joins and open only the chemical signals of the tumor," explains the main author of the study, Professor Gonzalo Bernardes.
Attempts on Zebritcank and Mice models have confirmed that the drug is activated almost exclusively on tumors, saving vital organs such as liver and heart. This opens the road for the development of a new targeted drugs not only for cancer, but also to treat other diseases that require a prolific and secure supply of powerful drugs.
Translation of: Euromedia24.com
