Venom protein may lead to brain cancer cure

	Tweet

Doctors seeking treatments for malignant brain tumors have found promise in the venom of scorpions, according to a study released on Friday.

The study showed that a synthetic version of a protein found in the venom of giant yellow Israeli scorpions targeted tumor cells but did not harm the healthy cells of brain cancer patients.

“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, 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 tumor. Then doctors injected their brains with a solution of radioactive iodine and TM-601, the synthetic protein.

The solution bound almost exclusively to leftover tumor 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 the 14,000 annual glioma patients in the United States is typically a matter of months, the results shore up animal research indicating that the venom protein may inhibit tumor growth even without a radioactive component, Mamelak said.

“Does that mean that the drug was miraculous? No,” said Mamelak, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “But we have shown that it is safe and that we should at least move forward.”

The synthetic scorpion venom was developed by Transmolecular Industries, Inc., a Boston-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.

Work with these proteins and molecules is the natural progression from previous science studying simpler plant extracts that have yielded key medicines, said Michael Egan, president of Transmolecular Industries.

“Evolution has had this stuff for a while, so chances are (animals) have a few things we can take advantage of,” Egan said.

Giant yellow Israeli scorpions live in the deserts of the Middle East and grow to about 4 inches long.

RELATED STORIES:
Vaccine against deadly brain cancer shows promise   Researchers ID behavioral risk factors for head and neck cancers   Determining the genetic composition of brain cancers informs treatment, predicts outcome   Researchers Find Marker for Severity in Adult Brain Cancer   Oral rinses used for tracking HPV-positive head and neck cancers holds promise for cancer screening   Brain metastases hijack neuron-supporting cells to resist chemotherapy   Protein associated with growth of tumors may prevent the spread of cancer   Cancer Researcher Offer New Hope for Brain Tumor   Most common adult brain cancer linked to gene deletion, Stanford doctors say   Robotic Surgery for Head and Neck Cancer Shows Promise   Physical activity in adolescence associated with decreased risk of brain cancer in adulthood   Gene expression to distinguish metastasizing from non-metastasizing head and neck cancers   Study finds 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer   Head & neck cancer in transplant patients: For better or worse?   Hyperbaric Oxygen Tested for Aggressive Brain Cancer   Psychiatric symptoms can be first sign of cancer   Gene therapy increases survival for end-stage head and neck cancer   Genetic Risk Factor Found for Head and Neck Cancer in Smokers   Minimizing side effects from chemoradiation could help brain cancer patients live longer   Potential for non-invasive brain tumor treatment   UVA Brain Cancer Trials Lead to FDA Accelerated Approval of Medication   Brain trouble often persists after brain cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]