THE ESSENTIAL
- The researchers identified and isolated a molecule present in a species of marine sponge, before synthesizing it.
- This biological compound has proven anti-tumor properties, since it forces cancer cells to die by a mechanism of programmed cell death.
- According to the researchers behind this discovery, an anti-tumor treatment targeting cancer cells resistant to standard chemotherapies could emerge within 10 to 15 years.
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Is the marine sponge called fascaplysinopsis reticulata the key to a future treatment against cancer cells?
This is the thesis defended by researchers at the Federal University of the Far East, in Russia. In a study published in the journal Marine Drugs, its authors, in collaboration with Russian and German colleagues, explain that they have developed anti-tumor compounds, synthesized from bioactive molecules isolated from this sea sponge.
Programmed death of cancer cells
Scientists tested the biological effect of a marine molecule called the marine alkaloid 3,10-dibromofascaplysin on various prostate cancer cells, including those that are resistant to standard chemotherapy.
They first isolated the compound, before synthesizing it chemically. They found that this substance forces tumor cells to die by a mechanism of programmed cell death. This process is called “apoptosis” and is considered to be the most favorable mode of action of anticancer drugs.
They also noted that in addition to killing cancer cells, the compound simultaneously activates an enzyme (called a “kinase”) that protects these tumor cells. However, this action “cannot be considered to have a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ effect. It is simply a mechanism of action, the understanding of which suggests that we apply the marine alkaloid at the same time as inhibitors of these enzymes “says Dr. Sergey Dyshlovoy and lead author of the study.
Treatment available within 15 years
According to the researchers, the synthesized compound, in addition to its own activity, works well in combination with several already approved anticancer drugs, which enhances their anti-tumor effect.
The next step in their work will be to examine how the marine molecule affects non-cancerous cells. “In our laboratory, we are trying to modify the structure of these compounds in order to reduce their cytotoxic effect on normal cells, while retaining the necessary anti-tumor effect. The aim is to create a substance for targeted therapy, with a minimum side effects for healthy cells in the body “, details Dr Maxim Zhidkov, co-lead author.
It will take time, however, before a new cancer treatment emerges, with scientists speaking of a ten to fifteen year horizon due to the length of the planned clinical trials.
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