All-New 'Nanobody' Agents Could Help Docs Identify Beneficial Breast Cancer Drugs for Patients

A study has suggested that new Nanobody agents can help physicians identify patients most likely to benefit from breast cancer drug therapies.

A study has suggested that new "Nanobody" agents can help physicians identify patients most likely to benefit from breast cancer drug therapies.

If the compound, called "Nanobody", proves effective in clinical trials, it would represent a significant advance for breast cancer drug therapy because some drugs are effective only in some people.

Targeting Protein P-Rex1 Could Help In Breast Cancer Treatment
Targeting protein P-Rex1 could help in breast cancer treatment, it has been found. The protein is crucial for signal transmission from ErbB receptors that drive the the growth of many breast cancers.

In addition, some drugs have side effects that may cause damage to vital organs, making it more crucial for physicians to get the right treatment to the right patient the first time around.

"What makes Nanobodies so promising is that they are robust, small enough for rapid elimination from the body, and easy to produce at a relatively low cost," Ilse Vaneycken, M.Sc., a researcher involved in the work, said.

To make this discovery, Vaneycken and her colleagues started with the target of the therapeutic drugs (HER2) and immunized a dromedary camel to raise special antibodies unique to this species.

Antioxidant Drugs Can Aid in Breast Cancer Treatment
Antioxidant drugs that is currently used to treat lung disease, malaria and common cold can also prevent and treat cancers, pointed out in a research work.

Next, all unnecessary parts of the camel's antibodies were removed and cloned in bacteria.

Of 100 million bacterial clones, the team selected those that produced the 40 Nanobodies that recognized or bound to the same site targeted by therapeutic drugs.

Anti-depressant Drug may Relieve Pain from Breast Cancer Treatment
In a recent study duloxetine, a drug used to treat depression and anxiety is effective in reducing joint and muscle pain linked with breast cancer treatment.

Of this group, the team screened for compounds that picked out breast cancer cells bearing the genetic tag HER2. Their lead compound did just that, and without blocking access to cancer-killing drugs now in use.

Other properties of Nanobodies, such as good expression, stability, and visibility enabled breast cancer tumours to be stained and seen rapidly were also exploited.

Common Anti-depressant May Ease Pain from Breast Cancer Treatment
A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety disorder was effective at reducing joint and muscle pain associated with a breast cancer treatment, according to a study from the

"The scientists went over the hump to get to the lump so to speak," Gerald Weissmann, M.D., the Editor-in-Chief, said.

"This technique not only promises to help doctors target cancer cells with effective drugs today, but to pick out other discrete cancer targets in the future," he added.

The new discovery has been published online in The FASEB Journal.

Source-ANI