Oncology Breakthrough: New anti-cancer agent has been discovered by a team of Indian scientists, which may open up new avenues in effective cancer treatment.
A team of Indian scientists have discovered an anti-cancer agent which may pave the way for better cancer treatments. Scientists from Mumbai's Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune, and IIT Hyderabad, India have discovered an alternative drug molecule indicating high antitumor potential on cancer cells with exceptional ability to reduce unwanted growth of blood vessels (antiangiogenic effect), said one of the scientific team members.
‘Discovery of a new therapeutic agent, 'Ruthenium-Ferrocene Bimetallic,' may open up new avenues in cancer treatment.’
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This development is considered significant given the limited applicability of platinum drugs, currently the main treatment option for many types of cancer, due to the fast resistance developed by the patients. Read More..
The study was jointly conducted by a team comprising TIFR's Malay Patra, Manikandan M., SushantaChhatar, ShubhankarGadre, ARI's Chinmay Patra and Gourav Chakraborty, and IIT-Hyderabad's Naushad Ahmed.
Anti-Cancer Agent to Save Lives
Malay Patra told IANS said that the new therapeutic agent, 'Ruthenium-Ferrocene Bimetallic', has the potential to curb primary tumor growth through antiproliferation (use for inhibiting cell growth) and checking metastasis (growth) through antiangiogenesis, or ‘killing two birds with one stone’.Patra, who is the Principal Investigator, Medicinal Chemistry and Cell Biology Laboratory at the TIFR's Department of Chemical Sciences, said that the new agent restricts new blood vessel development and can help treat cancer cases that prove resistant to platinum drugs used for treating the disease.
So far, he said that extensive biological investigations have been undertaken in cellular models and on zebrafish, and the team is now planning to experiment the anti-cancer properties and toxicity of the new agent in mammals like mice.
The team's research has been published in the ACS journal, showing the potential therapeutic implications of the therapeutic agents to manage platinum-resistant cancers, Patra said.
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