Chemical compound holds promise as cancer treatment with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy

A synthetic version of a rare toxin produced by a sea creature appears to hold promise for treating many different types of cancer while minimizing the harmful side effects of widely used chemotherapy drugs.A study published today in the journal Science  Translational Medicine describes research on a substance called diazonamide, which prevents cell division, and was isolated from a marine animal calledDiazona angulata.Led by Patrick Harran, UCLA ’s Donald J. and Jane M. Cram Professor of Organic Chemistry, researchers produced a synthetic form of diazonamide that, in rodents, appears to be effective in fighting breast cancer, colon cancer and leukemia. The compound the scientists synthesized, DZ-2384, is more potent and lasts longer in th e bloodstream than natural diazonamide.And, when combined with a chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine (which is marketed under the brand name Gemzar), the compound is effective in rodents for combating advanced pancreatic cancer.DZ-2384 works by disrupting a molecular machine called the mitotic spindle, which the cell uses to pull replicated chromosomes apart during division. There are numerous compounds that affect spindle function, including several FDA-approved cancer drugs. These agents, which are called anti-mitotics, have a typical pattern of toxicity associated with their use. DZ-2384 is an anti-mitotic that behaves differently.In the study, researchers implanted or grew tumors in hundreds of rodents as models for various types of...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news