How a little fungus became a really fun guy
In a study published almost a week ago in the journal Nature, a laboratory in New York, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has uncovered some remarkable findings in cancer killing research. Dr. Hans- Guido Wendel, colleauges Dr. Scott Lowe and Professor Jerry Pelletier found the combination of two chemicals, rapamycin and doxorubicin actually wiped out tumours on laboratory mice.
Rapamycin, an antibiotic, is derived from a fungus found thus far only on Easter Island. It hs for some time been used as an organ replacement anti-rejection medication. Doxorubicin is also no newcomer. It is a DNA damaging agent used in chemotherapy. The combination of the two gives what has been described as a "one- two punch" that completely removes any signs of cancer.
"We treated them (the mice) with this combination and the next day the tumours were gone. That was quite stunning.", Dr. Wendel said. In normal, pre- cancerous cells there is a, for lack of better description, a self destruct mechanism or program. When cells become cancerous, the self destruct gets turned off. Rapamycin somehow reinstates the self destruct. Following it up with doxorubicin actually starts the countdown process.
As yet, human testing has not been initiated, but plans are in the works. The results so far have lasted three or four months, a great span of a mouse's life. If the results in humans are even remotely similar, the prospects are phenomenal. A reduction in chemotherapy afterwards or possibly no need. This would facilitate treating the stubborn cancers, leukemia, lymph node cancer among many others.