Breakthrough cancer drug development

A new study led to the development of drugs tested so far successfully on 18 patients with bladder cancer in clinical trials. The drug is based on a study of more than twenty years of Prof. Avraham Hochberg Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University Silverman. Development that recently won the first investigator Kay innovations award.

Research of Prof. Hochberg showed that H19 gene plays an important role in tumor formation in the body. Gene is expressed in large amounts in the cells of more than 30 types of cancer, including bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreatic cancer, in healthy tissues is expressed almost negligible levels. The assumption is that the gene enables tumor cells to survive conditions that characterize the environment and thereby allows the tumor growth and metastasis.

Breakthroughs in cancer research in recent years and the discovery of H19 gene's role in this process, believes Professor Hochberg Anticancer Drugs based on differential activation of the toxin only in cancer cells H19 gene is expressed, there would be advantages that existing methods to eradicate cancer.

Developed drug causes specific destruction of cancer cells that healthy cells intact. The approach is based on the identification of genes expressed only in tumors and use these genes activate the toxin in the cancer cells only, way that will destroy them without, as stated, can damage healthy cells.