Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed a nano-sized polymer that can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to the blood vessels that feed cancer cells both in tumors and metastases (breakaways from a main tumor).
The polymer has shown to be an effective treatment for advanced cancer, the university said, in trials eliminating colorectal cancer cells that had metastasized in the liver after a single dose.
According to the World Health Organization, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide – accounting for around 10 percent of all cancer cases and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. More than two thirds of colorectal cancer patients also experience metastasis to the liver.
The technology has been licensed to Ness Ziona-based biomedical company Vaxil Biotherapeutics for further clinical development, which is working to begin human clinical trials as soon as possible.
The research was led by doctoral student Marie Rütter in the lab of Prof. Ayelet David from the university’s Faculty of Health Sciences.
“Colon cancer is a very aggressive tumor and spreads very quickly to the liver. About 25 percent of the patients with CRC present liver metastases at the time of diagnosis,” said David.
“Our unique polymer demonstrates promising preclinical results for treating advanced cancer that has spread to other places in the body and usually cannot be cured or controlled with other therapies,” she said.
“This is a remarkable advantage, indicating that the polymer accurately hits the target and eliminates the metastases from the liver of mice that responded well to the treatment.”
The research was recently published in leading nanoscience journal Nano Today.
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