Brain Cancer Gene Silenced in Mice by Experimental Drug

            According to an article on USNews.com, researchers have created an experimental drug that is able to silence a gene related to a deadly brain cancer in mice.  In basic terms, silencing a gene means turning off a gene and its expression.  The experimental drug was created through the use of nanotechnology by 2 scientists from Northwestern University named Chad Mirkin and Alexander Stegh.  It acts upon the gene Bcl2L12, which is responsible for the creation of proteins that prevents the killing of cancer cells.  The type of incurable brain cancer that this new drug works against is called glioblastoma multiforme and it is the cause of 13,000 deaths in America each year.  People who are unfortunate to become diagnosed with this terrible cancer usually have an average survival rate of 14 to 16 months and about 16,000 cases are diagnosed each year.  This drug has caused remarkable results in mice that have glioblastoma multiforme.  Since the drug is so small, it can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and get to the brain tumors.  Then, this drug is able to get inside the brain tumors and turn off the gene so that its expression is terminated.  The drug was administered to mice through intravenous injection and it resulted in the mice having a 20% longer survival rate as well as causing the size of the cancerous tumors to become three to four times smaller.  The next step for the two scientists is to begin testing the experimental drug in clinical trials.

            After doing a little bit of research on glioblastoma multiforme, I came to realize how deadly this brain cancer is and can’t imagine how those who are diagnosed with it must feel.  Even though drugs and new medicine prove to be successful in animals, it does not mean that the treatment will be as successful in humans. However, this new drug provides hope to those who are suffering from this terrible cancer.  Hopefully, the drug is successful in clinical trials because it could help so many people.  By utilizing this drug along with other cancer treatments, it may be possible to cure people of glioblastoma multiforme.  Possibly, the nanotechnology used in creating this drug can be utilized with developing treatments for other cancers like lung, breast, and gastric.  This technology can be also applied to shutting off genes that cause other diseases.  With the knowledge that scientists have about cancers like glioblastoma multiforme, it is amazing how advanced the technology is that is used in creating treatments.  I believe that with the advanced technology that we have today, we are getting ever closer to curing cancer and this article proves we are heading in the right direction.