Light therapy
Drugs for chemotherapy were offered to activate with light
Medical news based on Medicalexpress materials: New technique for precise light-activated chemotherapy drugsThe staff of the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich suggested activating chemotherapy drugs with the help of light.
According to the data presented in the journal Cell, this will not only actively destroy tumor cells, but also reduce the degree of side effects associated with taking drugs for chemotherapy.
According to the authors of the study, the so-called photopharmacology can help patients suffering from various types of neoplasms. Scientists note that light activation allows for the targeted effect of the drug on the tumor. "We hope that our proposed method will be used to combat malignant neoplasms, even those that are currently regarded by doctors as incurable," the authors of the study explained.
The most effective drugs for chemotherapy block the assembly of microtubules in cells. It is known that these components are necessary for cell proliferation and migration. At the same time, such drugs do not have specificity, so they affect not only tumor cells, but also healthy cells. In order to solve this problem, scientists have developed a method of optical control of microtubule inhibitor drugs.
Human tumor cells in the dark and when illuminated by a flash of blue spectrum light.
Photo: Ludwig-Maximilian University
Photo: Ludwig-Maximilian University
"We can use light to "switch" the drug. The accuracy of the method allows you to control the drug literally in every cell. Our compounds retain the necessary therapeutic effect, but as a bonus, it becomes possible to control the area of exposure," the authors of the study added. They called the developed drugs photostatins (photostatins). These compounds can be "turned on" and "turned off" hundreds of times, which allows doctors to use them repeatedly. Currently, scientists are preparing to conduct clinical trials of photostatins.
Article by Borowiak et al. Photoswitchable Inhibitors of Microtubule Dynamics Optically Control Mitosis and Cell Death is published in the journal Cell – VM.
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10.07.2015