SoylentNews

RandomFactor [soylentnews.org] writes:

Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd. (AEBi) is making some grandiose claims [jpost.com] regarding a new approach to fighting cancer they have been developing dubbed "MuTaTo" (multi-target toxin).

"We believe we will offer in a year's time a complete cure for cancer."

most anti-cancer drugs attack a specific target on or in the cancer cell, [Dr. Ilan Morad] explained. Inhibiting the target usually affects a physiological pathway that promotes cancer. Mutations in the targets – or downstream in their physiological pathways – could make the targets not relevant to the cancer nature of the cell, and hence the drug attacking it is rendered ineffective.

In contrast, MuTaTo is using a combination of several cancer-targeting peptides for each cancer cell at the same time, combined with a strong peptide toxin that would kill cancer cells specifically. By using at least three targeting peptides on the same structure with a strong toxin, Morad said, “we made sure that the treatment will not be affected by mutations;

He continues

“The probability of having multiple mutations that would modify all targeted receptors simultaneously decreases dramatically with the number of targets used. Instead of attacking receptors one at a time, we attack receptors three at a time – not even cancer can mutate three receptors at the same time.”

It seems there is a new cancer cure regularly, but hope springs eternal, in this case the research is out of a petri dish and into animal testing.

Morad said that so far, the company has concluded its first exploratory mice experiment, which inhibited human cancer cell growth and had no effect at all on healthy mice cells, in addition to several in-vitro trials. AEBi is on the cusp of beginning a round of clinical trials which could be completed within a few years and would make the treatment available in specific cases.

What say you? 'We're saved!' or 'wake me when it gets through Phase III clinical trials'?

Original Submission