Genetics V.S. Cancer

The battle against cancer has always been a frightful and filled with hardships for everyone, however with the power of science, these battles are starting to have more hopes. About one out of twenty-two Americans battle and survived against cancer--that's three times the amount of victories since 40 years ago!

About 14.5 million people in the United States defeated cancer or survived with a tumor for more than five years. The new scientific tools in our hands are now allowing us to explore the genetics basics on cancer and target the molecular triggers that sets off cancer and prevent it from spreading. Between 1998 and 2001 cancer targeted drugs, such as Herceptin for breast cancer and Gleevec for leukemia were approved; the drugs have help cleared five new targeted treatments for cancer.

Although not every battle ends in victory, we can now label patients suffering from cancer into smaller groups based on the specific genetics of their malignancies. By doing so, researchers can pinpoint specific mutations with new drugs; according to Ken Anderson, a physician and spokesman for the America Association for Cancer Research, these medications also lessens the side effects such as nausea and fatigue. Other new types of cancer treatments are now focusing on protecting the immune system, trying to prevent the cancer from growing in the body.

As Anderson stated, "These new medicines offer the opportunity for unprecedented extent and frequency of responses on the one hand and a very favorable side effect profile on the other."  

This year about 1.6 million Americans will find out they have cancer. In 2009, it costed about $216.6 billion for the country to attempt curing cancer. My grandfather past away due to lung cancer, so the news about these new drugs gave me a sense of hope. I know the damage cancer can do to not only the person having it, but it also affects the loved ones in your family. Hopefully these new drugs will help us defeat cancer once and for all. So far the battles are turning to our favor, but will we eventually win the war?

Article: http://health.heraldtribune.com/2014/09/30/genetics-helping-survivor-tally-triple-40-years-ago/

Related article about one of the new drug for breast cancer: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/28/us-health-cancer-roche-idUSKCN0HN06R20140928 

Anthrax as a Potential Mechanism for Delivering Cancer Drugs to Cells

Scientists have been able to synthesize antibodies with the capability of disrupting proteins, like the HER-2 receptor, which are found on the surfaces of some cancer cells. For example, the drug Herceptin has been successful in treating breast tumors which "over express the HER-2 receptor" by targeting cancer cells for destruction. Designing antibody drugs to target other receptors on cancer-cell surfaces could potentially be successful in treating cancer; however, it is extremely difficult to get proteins inside the cells, making many cancer cells unreachable.

A team of MIT researchers has been evaluating Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria which causes anthrax, as a potential "deliverer" of antibodies to cancer cells. Bacillus anthracis is of interest to the medical community as it is able to deliver large enzymes through the cell membrane, a feat rendered difficult to impossible in the administration of cancer drugs to specific cells.

The anthrax toxin kills cells through three mechanisms. The first is the protective antigen (PA), a protein which binds to the TEM-8 and CMG-2 receptors found on most cells. Once PA binds to a cell, it creates a "docking site" for the two anthrax proteins called lethal factor (LF) and edema factor (EF). These proteins are sent into the cell and disrupt cellular processes, often causing cell death. However, if the sections responsible for the LF and EF proteins in anthrax are removed, the PA will leave channels that allow proteins to enter cells. This system can be used to deliver synthesized antibodies, referred to as antibody mimics, to cancer cells through the channels left by the PA to target specific proteins in cancer cells. The antibody mimics are smaller than antibodies and function to disrupt specific proteins within a cancer cell.

 This article immediately caught my eye as I never would have expected the words "anthrax to deliver cancer drugs" to be put together. This article shows the importance of the combination of innovative and logical thinkers in medicine. If the MIT team is able to effectively replicate this method of administering antibodies to cancer cells in specific types of cells, this method may change oncology forever.

Article: https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014/cancer-drug-delivery-by-anthrax-0925
Related article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066103/