Ruiwen Zhang and Robert L. Boblitt from the University of Houston have developed a new pancreatic cancer drug. The research was published in the Journal of Cancer Research. The drug targets two genes at the same time, and this breakthrough achievement is of great significance for the treatment of aggressive and deadly pancreatic cancer.
The drug is also expected to become a framework for the development of drugs to treat other forms of cancer or other diseases. Pancreatic cancer occurs when pancreatic cells begin to multiply out of control and develop into lumps, and the resulting cancer cells can invade other parts of the body. Most cancers start in the area of the pancreas that produces digestive enzymes. Symptoms include back or stomach pain, unexpected weight loss, and jaundice (yellow skin). In addition, a person’s urine may appear dark yellow and itchy skin. There are two oncogenes associated with pancreatic cancer. There are two main ways for the drug to inhibit pancreatic cancer. They activate the nuclear factor of T cell 1 (NFAT1) and murine double microparticle 2 (MDM2), respectively. The latter gene regulates a tumor suppressor gene called p53. When there is no tumor suppressor p53, MDM2 can cause cancer. NFAT1 is used to up-regulate the expression of MDM2, thereby promoting tumor growth. Factors related to diet, nutrition and the environment can lead to increased levels of these factors in the cell.
When talking about this discovery, Dr. Zhang said that the clinical needs of new, effective and safe drugs for the treatment of pancreatic cancer have not yet been met. Our findings represent a major advancement in cancer research. He added: “Most drugs only target one factor. We identified a compound that targets two cancer-related genes. “The new drug is a synthetic compound of MA242. The drug can consume two proteins at the same time, thereby improving the tumor killing efficiency.
