Drug used for blood cancers may stop spread of breast cancer cells

In continuation of my update on Decitabine

A drug used to treat blood cancers may also stop the spread of invasive breast cancer, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have discovered. Their study, published online in Breast Cancer Research, found that in the lab and in animals, the drug decitabine turns on a gene coding for protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) that halts the ability of cancer cells to separate from a tumor and spread to distant organs.

Drug used for blood cancers may stop spread of breast cancer cells

Ref : http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/15/2/R66

Positive results from combination drug trial for late-stage ovarian cancer

In continuation of my update on  carboplatin

Researchers from IU Medical Sciences Program-Bloomington  and Indiana University Melvin, have found that, an experimental two-drug combination (decitabine & carboplatin) for treating late-stage ovarian cancer continues to produce strong results, leading its Indiana University researchers to actively pursue the next step, conducting a larger clinical trial to test the therapy and to see how it compares with existing treatments for ovarian cancer.

The researchers have been investigating the addition of decitabine, which is marketed as Dacogen in the United States, because they suspect it reactivates tumor suppression genes that are turned off in ovarian cancer cells and improves cells' susceptibility to anti-cancer drugs like carboplatin.

"The science associated with the trial is novel and exciting and could have impact in the future," she said.....

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Researchers Identify Two FDA Approved Drugs (Decitabine and Gemcitabine) That May Fight HIV....

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center have identified two drugs (Decitabine and Gemcitabine see structures)  that when combined, may serve as an effective treatment for HIV.

The researchers found that, two drugs, decitabine (left) and gemcitabine (below) (both FDA approved and currently used in pre-cancer and cancer therapy) were found to eliminate HIV infection in the mouse model by causing the virus to mutate itself to death an outcome researchers dubbed "lethal mutagenesis." Interestingly, this is for the first time that, this novel approach has been used to attack the deadly virus without causing toxic side effects. As the drugs are already approved for other purpose, it will be much easier to expedite the development of the drugs for human use.

"The findings provide hope that such an approach will someday help the 33 million people worldwide who currently live with HIV," Mansky said.

HIV mutates and evolves quickly. Rather than inhibiting virus growth and replication like current HIV drugs, this new drug combination forces the virus to do just the opposite evolve beyond control, to the point of extinction.

The lead researcher claims that HIV's ability to mutate makes it difficult to target and treat, and they wanted to take advantage of this behavior by stimulating HIV's mutation rate, essentially using the virus as a weapon against itself.

Researchers found that the drug concentrations needed to eliminate HIV infection cause no measureable cell toxicity and were effective against HIV cultures at concentrations well below the current levels used for cancer treatment.

Gemcitabine and decitabine have been administered in pre-clinical trials with mice. Initial findings confirm that the drugs are an effective antiviral therapy for HIV. And now the researchers are now in the process of modifying the drugs to forms that can be absorbed by the human body when taken orally.

Ref : http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/18/9301

Two-drug phase I trial shows promise in treating late-stage ovarian cancer

In continuation of my update on carboplatin .....

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine, have come up  with interesting finding from a two-Drug Phase I Trial Show, i.e.,  the combination of decitabine (see structure) and carboplatin appears to improve the outcome of women who have late-stage ovarian cancer. Researchers report four of 10 patients who participated in a phase I clinical trial had no disease progression after six months of treatment. One patient experienced complete resolution of tumor tissue for a period of time.

"Carboplatin is the most efficient drug therapy for ovarian cancer,"  unfortunately, patients with recurrent disease become resistant to the drug after one or two rounds claims the lead researcher.."

Decitabine was first used to treat the study patients intravenously daily for five days followed on the eighth day with carboplatin. After a month, the regimen begins again.

Encouraged by the results of the phase I trial, which determined the safety of two different dosing regimens, a phase II trial is now under way with 17 patients already enrolled. Phase II trials are primarily focused on assessing the effectiveness of a drug or treatment protocol.

As per the claim by the researcher, decitabine  (a known methylation inhibitor) can help return tumor suppression genes to an active state, and also improve cells' susceptibility to anti-cancer drugs like carboplatin. Researchers adds that decitabine isn't just targeting active ovarian cancer cells, but also cancer stem cells that seem to survive the first treatments. 

Researchers conclude that, by keeping tumor suppression genes from being methylated, carboplatin and other platinum-based treatments for ovarian cancer have a better chance of success in the late stages.

Ref : http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123500856/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0