dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Science

NUS Researchers Develop New Drug That Fights Cancer With Less Renal Toxicity

  • October 2, 2019
The novel drug enters the ‘powerhouses’ of cancer cells to launch an attack, without harming healthy cells
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

A team of NUS pharmacists and chemists has developed a new anti-cancer drug that has less toxic effects to the kidneys. The new drug works like a ‘magic bullet’ that is delivered directly to the mitochondria — the power generators of cells — of cancer cells. Once the drug reaches the tumour, two active molecules — an anti-cancer drug and a sensitizer — are released at once, and they attack the mitochondria, leading to the death of cancer cells. Such a targeted approach reduces the drug’s interactions with other tissues, minimising side effects and it is expected to lower the risk of patients developing resistance to anti-cancer drugs like cisplatin.

The development of the novel drug was first reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition on 3 April 2019.

The novel drug enters the ‘powerhouses’ of cancer cells to launch an attack, without harming healthy cells

Side effects of anti-cancer drugs

The discovery of cisplatin as an anti-cancer drug in 1965 was an important milestone that changed the treatment of the disease, and improved the cure rates of cancer patients worldwide.

More than 50 years later, cisplatin and the newer generation of platinum-based anti-cancer drugs are still used in about 40 per cent of all chemotherapy treatments. However, these drugs have toxic side effects, such as causing severe kidney dysfunction in patients, which may require some patients to undergo dialysis treatment.

“When designing and evaluating new cancer treatments, researchers often use cisplatin as a gold standard to compare new medicines. Cisplatin is known to kill cancer cells by damaging DNA. But cancer cells are smart, and they have ways to repair this damage and become resistant to the drug treatment. Hence, we need good alternatives that can address drug resistance and the associated side effects,” explained Associate Professor Ang Wee Han from NUS Chemistry.

He worked together with Associate Professor Giorgia Pastorin from NUS Pharmacy to look into developing an anti-cancer drug with better treatment outcomes to serve as an alternative to cisplatin. The research was conducted in collaboration with Professor Dan Gibson from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Lab studies: Tumour disappears after targeted delivery of new drug

Recognising that the mitochondria have less efficient repair mechanisms in their DNA, the NUS team came up with a novel drug that can be delivered directly to them. This was achieved by adding a mitochondria-targeting ligand to the original cisplatin scaffold. This additional ligand has a strong positive charge that displays high affinity towards the complementary negative charge of the mitochondrial membrane.

The NUS researchers examined how their drug was released into the blood, and came up with a method to encapsulate their novel drug formulation in miniaturised drug carriers known as liposomal nanovesicles. As tumours grow very rapidly, their blood vessels do not have time to develop properly and they are leaky. Such an environment enables the permeation of the drug carriers from blood vessels to the tumour microenvironment, and be retained within the tumour to carry out the ‘attack’ on cancer cells.

Experiments by the researchers showed that the new drug, when delivered in a colon cancer model, shrank the tumour until it became impalpable.

“No sign of kidney inflammation was detected, unlike the use of conventional cisplatin. These results indicate that our invention is a viable alternative to cisplatin,” said Dr Maria Babak, who was the first author of the study.

“While our results show great potential, we want to further challenge ourselves to improve our drug so that we can achieve complete tumour remission and tackle drug resistance. Accomplishing such a feat will open doors to improving cancer treatment and survival rates,” said Assoc Prof Pastorin.

Further studies

To improve the efficacy of the new drug, the research team is looking into adjusting the doses and frequencies of the treatment. They are also studying combinations of different anti-cancer drugs, and examining ways to packaging them into suitable drug delivery systems to increase efficacy, decrease side effects and tackle drug resistance among cancer patients.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Cancer Research
  • Kidneys
  • NUS
majulah

Previous Article
  • Lah!

Singapore And The Eurasian Economic Union Deepen Economic Relations Through A Free Trade Agreement

  • October 2, 2019
View Post
Next Article
  • Cities

Natural Ways Of Cooling Cities

  • October 2, 2019
View Post
You May Also Like
Semiconductor
View Post
  • Computing
  • Science

Decoding The Digital. Distinguishing Computer Science And Information Technology In Society And Industry.

  • Dean Marc
  • May 2, 2024
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data
  • Research
  • Science

Generative AI Could Offer A Faster Way To Test Theories Of How The Universe Works

  • dotlah.com
  • March 17, 2024
Mercury
View Post
  • Science
  • Technology

Study: Global Deforestation Leads To More Mercury Pollution

  • dotlah.com
  • February 14, 2024
View Post
  • Science
  • Technology

Higher, Faster: What Influences The Aerodynamics Of A Football?

  • dotlah.com
  • February 11, 2024
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Science
  • Technology

A Glimpse Of The Next Generation Of AlphaFold

  • dotlah.com
  • November 6, 2023
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Machine Learning
  • Science
  • Technology

AI in the Classroom: Amii’s K-12 Pilot Program

  • dotlah.com
  • October 23, 2023
View Post
  • Science
  • Technology

Learning How To Learn

  • John Francis
  • October 23, 2023
View Post
  • Engineering
  • Science
  • Technology

With Psyche, A Journey To An Ancient Asteroid Is Set To Begin

  • dotlah.com
  • October 13, 2023


Trending
  • 1
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge Unveils Greentech Startup Finalists To Pilot Their Innovations At CapitaLand Properties
    • May 24, 2021
  • 2
    • Lah!
    Sembcorp Industries Launches Sembcorp Energy For Good Fund With Initial Injection Of S$1.5 Million
    • September 22, 2020
  • 3
    • Lah!
    Microsoft And Lee Kuan Yew School Of Public Policy Launch APAC Leaders Digital Alliance
    • December 7, 2021
  • 4
    • People
    Living The Life: How To Stay Independent As A Senior
    • June 19, 2020
  • 5
    • Environment
    • People
    • World Events
    Coronavirus: We Need To Start Preparing For The Next Viral Outbreak Now
    • February 26, 2020
  • 6
    • Society
    UOB And Prudential Singapore Launch The UOB Lady’s Savings Account To Help Women Grow Their Wealth And Protect Their Health
    • March 10, 2020
  • 7
    • Lah!
    New $20 Note Released To Commemorate Singapore’s Bicentennial
    • June 5, 2019
  • When asked about his leadership style, DPM Lawrence Wong said he will be open and consultative, but he will not shirk from doing what is necessary for Singapore's future. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI 8
    • Features
    • Lah!
    • People
    • Politics
    ‘We are prepared to relook everything’: Lawrence Wong on a changing society and his hopes for S’pore
    • May 15, 2024
  • 9
    • Lah!
    Asia Produces Half The Plastic In The World
    • July 16, 2020
  • 10
    • Science
    Viral Vaccines Simplified: How Are They Made?
    • April 28, 2020
  • 11
    • Lah!
    PUB Appoints Sembcorp To Build Singapore’s Largest Floating Solar Farm On Tengeh Reservoir
    • February 11, 2020
  • 12
    • Lah!
    Ministry Of Health Extends Precautionary Measures To Minimise Risk Of Community Spread Of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) In Singapore
    • January 31, 2020
Trending
  • Bluetooth speakers 1
    Best Bluetooth Speakers Under $200 (2025 Edition)
    • October 16, 2025
  • 2
    Apple Vision Pro upgraded with the powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band
    • October 15, 2025
  • 3
    Apple unveils new 14‑inch MacBook Pro powered by the M5 chip, delivering the next big leap in AI for the Mac
    • October 15, 2025
  • 4
    Apple introduces the powerful new iPad Pro with the M5 chip
    • October 15, 2025
  • 5
    Singapore’s national identity excludes those who don’t look like a ‘regular family’
    • October 9, 2025
  • Smart Watch 6
    Best Smartwatches, Your Gateway to Health Monitoring and Everyday Use
    • October 5, 2025
  • Cooking pots and pans 7
    Best Pots and Pans 2025: All-Season, All-Purpose Picks for Every Kitchen
    • September 23, 2025
  • 8
    Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading
    • September 21, 2025
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 9
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 10
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.