The beads contain cells that produce a compound called interleukin-2, a protein which activates white blood cells to fight cancer.
HOUSTON, Texas — Researchers say they’ve found a way to eliminate ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice by implanting a “drug factory” near tumors. They say they hope to start human clinical trials in the fall.
The researchers, bioengineers at Rice University in Houston Texas, said in a study published March 2, that by implanting small drug-producing beads, they were able to eradicate tumors in 100% of animals with ovarian cancer, and seven out of eight animals with colorectal cancer.
The beads, which use components previously proven safe for people, contain cells that produce a compound called interleukin-2, a protein which activates white blood cells to fight cancer.
The researchers placed the beads next to the tumors and inside a sac-like lining that supports organs like the intestines, which helps limit exposure of the treatment from the rest of the body.
Researchers say the drug factories also provoke a stronger immune response than existing interleukin-2 treatment regimens because the beads deliver higher concentrations of the protein directly to tumors.
“If you gave the same concentration of the protein through an IV pump, it would be extremely toxic,” graduate student Amanda Nash said. “With the drug factories, the concentration we see elsewhere in the body, away from the tumor site, is actually lower than what patients have to tolerate with IV treatments. The high concentration is only at the tumor site.”
Nash said the same general approach used in the study could be applied to treat cancers of other organs by placing the beads between the tumor and the affected organ’s lining.
According to the researchers, the body would naturally turn off the flow of the treatment within 30 days, and that a second course of treatment could be given if needed.
To read more on the study, click here.
