據(jù)加拿大《明報(bào)》報(bào)道,，加拿大安省京士頓(Kingston)皇后大學(xué)(Queen's University)的華裔研究員領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的加拿大小組,，在實(shí)驗(yàn)室研究一種分子與抗乳癌藥物合用的功效,，意外發(fā)現(xiàn)分子有大大激發(fā)藥力的功能,。
研究人員希望研發(fā)分子療法,，配合傳統(tǒng)抗乳癌藥物,，給有抗藥性的乳癌病人使用,，加強(qiáng)藥物功效。皇后大學(xué)的科學(xué)家說(shuō),，他們研制的ANK縮氨酸(peptide),，與一些抗癌藥如紫杉醇(taxol) 、諾考達(dá)唑(nocodazole)合用,，療效比單獨(dú)用藥強(qiáng)3.5倍,。
此項(xiàng)研究的報(bào)告在15日的《癌癥研究》(Cancer Research)期刊網(wǎng)絡(luò)版發(fā)表，該種縮氨酸已申請(qǐng)了1項(xiàng)美國(guó)專(zhuān)利,。
皇后大學(xué)結(jié)構(gòu)生物學(xué)研究講座華裔教授賈宗超(Zongchao Jia)15日說(shuō),，這種縮氨酸本身不是藥物，就像咖啡加奶油,，味道會(huì)更好,，縮氨酸會(huì)促進(jìn)目前最廣泛應(yīng)用乳腺癌藥物的功效。這對(duì)于那些有嚴(yán)重抗藥問(wèn)題的患者將非常有用,。
賈宗超的研究小組將縮氨酸與標(biāo)準(zhǔn)藥物合并,，放入裝有乳癌細(xì)胞的培養(yǎng)皿，進(jìn)行效力測(cè)試,，他們也單獨(dú)使用藥物測(cè)試,。經(jīng)過(guò)測(cè)試發(fā)現(xiàn)，添加縮氨酸的藥物,，比不加縮氨酸藥物殺死的癌細(xì)胞多3.5倍,。
不過(guò)，賈宗超指出,，現(xiàn)在只是研究早期階段,，結(jié)果只限于實(shí)驗(yàn)室實(shí)驗(yàn)，下一步會(huì)在實(shí)驗(yàn)室老鼠身上實(shí)驗(yàn),。如果成功,，他們會(huì)進(jìn)入人體測(cè)試，這個(gè)過(guò)程可能需時(shí)幾年,。
英文原文：
Queen's discovery provides new hope for people with advanced breast cancer
A surprising discovery by Queen's University researchers that happened when their work took an unexpected turn may help women with advanced breast cancer respond better to conventional drug treatments.
The Queen's team's findings, to be published on-line today in the international journal Cancer Research, show that a newly discovered "peptide" molecule (a chain of amino acids smaller than a protein) increases the effectiveness by 350 per cent of drugs used to kill breast cancer cells.
Drs. Zongchao Jia and Vinay Singh, of the Queen's Department of Biochemistry, initially intended to study the structure of a protein called SNCG which is implicated in drug resistance in breast cancer. When unraveling the structure proved more difficult than expected, the research team looked to a similar protein associated with Alzheimer's Disease.
They were looking for "binding partners" of the Alzheimr's protein, hoping to learn how the structures of the Alzheimer protein and SNCG were held together. From this information, they were able to design a completely new peptide, which blocked SNCG's interaction with another protein, counteracting the resistance to cancer drugs. "We were excited to find that it actually can reduce anti-cancer drug resistance by three-and-a-half times," says Dr. Jia, Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology.
Noting that the peptide itself is not a drug, Dr. Jia likens it to an ingredient in the kind of "drug cocktails" used to treat HIV/AIDS. "It has to be used in combination with a drug to be effective," he says. "In the same way that cream flavors coffee to make it taste better, the peptide enhances the effectiveness of the most widely-used breast cancer drugs today."
"We greatly hope this will not only increase the positive response from patients but also will make the current drug more useful by extending its impact to a wider range of people, particularly those with a resistance problem," says Dr. Jia.
"The whole discovery 'morphed' from something entirely different. In a basic research lab like ours, this is as close as we get to treatment for a disease," says Dr. Jia, whose mother has breast cancer. "It just shows that once in a while basic science leads to discoveries that are useful in everyday life!" he adds.
Next, Dr. Jia hopes to team up with other researchers to advance the work to the point where they can transform the peptide, called ANK, into a suitable form for "drug cocktail" therapy. A U.S. patent application has been filed for this discovery through PARTEQ Innovations, the university's technology transfer office.
