As drugs kill tumor cells

As drugs kill tumor cells

A variety of mechanisms for the border combat cancer effect of the drug doxorubicin held responsible. This means an injury to the Erbmaterials the trigger of cell death of cancer cells through a kind of suicide programme, which is also known as apoptosis.

The exact mechanism by doxorubicin mediated cell death has not yet been sufficiently clarified. In one of the Wilhelm Sander Foundation-funded project is a research team led by Dr. Sandra Bien from the group of Prof. Heyo Kroemer (Department of Pharmacology) at the University of Greifswald by the mechanism of cancer cell death triggered doxorubicin resources. With the ever-improving treatment options for infectious diseases and cardiovascular diseases and a related increase in life expectancy cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. One of the most commonly used cancer drugs, doxorubicin, in the many different cancers that can be used successfully.

Despite a more than 30 years of use of doxorubicin against cancer, the mechanisms on which the effects of based, is still controversial. Presumed mechanisms include the installation of the substance in the genetic material with resulting damage and the formation of the cancer cell harmful oxygen compounds. In addition, it is known that doxorubicin directly processes in the cancer cell activates the cell to move a kind of "suicide" to celebrate. This process is known as programmed cell death or apoptosis. These are throughout life in the human organism process held, inter alia, for embryonic development, the balance of cell growth and cell destruction and the regulation of our immune system is of central importance. Apoptosis can be very different stimuli are triggered. These include various cancer therapeutics and UV radiation. Increasingly, a role of proteins called Cathepsin's family of apoptosis operations discussed. In particular, cathepsin B in the centre stage of cell death. This protein is also under the influence of doxorubicin in tumor cells increased.

It is also interesting the fact that there are approaches to therapy with doxorubicin connections that are under the influence of Cathepsin B in the cancer cell doxorubicin damaging split. Therefore, studies on the involvement of Cathepsin B on doxorubicin triggered by cell of particular interest and could contribute to the effect of doxorubicin in cancer cells better. Furthermore, the results obtained for optimizing a cancer therapy through the use of Cathepsin B-activated cancer therapeutics, and therefore possibly a certain selectivity to damage cancer cells explained.

One goal of the Wilhelm Sander Foundation funded research project is, therefore, the participation of Cathepsin B on doxorubicin-mediated cell death of cancer cells using specific and innovative methods, such as the selective off the protein Cathepsin B, and thus fosters knowledge about the mechanism of the specific effects of doxorubicin in cancer cells.

The Wilhelm-Sander Foundation supports this research project with more than 90,000 €.

Foundation purpose of the foundation is to medical research, especially projects in the framework of the fight against cancer. Since the founding of the Foundation were a total of 160 million euros for the promotion of research in Germany and Switzerland granted. The Foundation is from the estate of the same entrepreneur out in 1973 died.