John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
A recent study published in Nature Communications reveals a potential breakthrough in cancer treatment. Researchers led by Mark Smith from Stanford University's Sarafan ChEM-H have developed a molecular tag that could allow intravenous (IV) chemotherapy drugs to be taken orally. This innovation, tested in mice, showed promising results with paclitaxel, a widely used chemotherapy drug.
"This is an embarrassingly simple solution to an old problem," said Smith. The research team designed the tag to enhance the solubility of drugs, enabling them to be effective as pills at lower doses. James Dickerson, a Stanford oncologist not involved in the study, commented on its potential impact: "The impact of a nontoxic and effective oral paclitaxel could be enormous."
The new approach addresses the issue of bioavailability—the percentage of an orally administered drug that reaches the bloodstream. Drugs need to be both water and oil soluble to navigate through the body effectively. Traditional methods for improving solubility are complex and costly. Smith's team tackled this by creating "sol-moiety," a chemical tag inspired by soap properties that becomes detached when absorbed into cells lining the stomach and intestines.
One of their first successes was with vemurafenib, a melanoma treatment known for poor water solubility. By adding sol-moiety, they increased its bioavailability dramatically from nearly zero to 100%. Encouraged by these results, they applied the same method to paclitaxel.
Paclitaxel is typically administered via IV due to its insolubility in water and reliance on castor oil mixtures. This requirement often leads patients to experience adverse reactions and necessitates additional treatments like steroids before chemotherapy infusions.
Testing oral paclitaxel with sol-moiety in mice demonstrated superior performance compared to traditional IV administration without observed toxicity from the new tag. "This could transform the way millions of patients around the world receive chemotherapy," said Smith.
While still early-stage research limited to animal models, these findings offer hope for more accessible cancer treatments worldwide if proven effective in humans.
Funding for this project came from Sarafan ChEM-H at Stanford University.
For further information or media inquiries, contact Rebecca McClellan at rmcclell@stanford.edu.
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