“We’re testing a new agent that has a lot of potential for patients who have had no meaningful treatments thus far,” said Dr Adam Mamelak, neurosurgeon and lead author on an article to appear in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.In the study, 18 patients first had surgery to remove malignant gliomas, a lethal kind of brain tumour. Then doctors injected their brains with a solution of radioactive iodine and TM-601, the synthetic protein.
The solution bound almost exclusively to leftover tumour cells, suggesting that it could be combined with chemotherapy to fight cancer. Furthermore, two study patients were still alive nearly three years after the treatment. Because life expectancy for glioma patients is typically a matter of months, the results indicate that the venom protein may inhibit tumour growth even without a radioactive component, said Mamelak.
The synthetic scorpion venom was developed by Transmolecular Industries, a US-based company, and is one of several medicines recently derived from animal poisons.Other researchers are investigating whether a protein in snake venom can stop bleeding and whether Gila monster venom can treat diabetes. They also have developed a painkiller based on the venom of a deadly sea snail. Giant yellow Israeli scorpions live in the deserts of the Middle East and grow to about 4 inches long.
No comments:
Post a Comment