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Uncertain future for drug used to shrink tumors
DCA is nothing new -- it's long been used for treatment of rare metabolic disorders -- but using it to fight cancer puts an entirely new spin on the potential of this drug.
"This is one of the most exciting results I've ever had," Michelakis said. "But I can't be overenthusiastic until it works on a human."
Michelakis and his colleagues have successfully used DCA to shrink human lung, breast, and brain tumors in both lab rats and test tubes. And while this type of research may not ordinarily generate a lot of excitement, this specific study is creating a buzz because DCA has been safely used in humans for decades, without adverse side effects.
"One of the big concerns about drugs is that they can harm people but we already know this drug is safe," Michelakis says. "It doesn't even affect normal cells."
One of the fundamental premises of cancer biology is that mitochondria -- the energy producing units of cells -- are permanently damaged by cancer. What DCA does is revive the mitochondrial function, encouraging the death of cancer cells.
The overwhelming hope is that DCA will move right to human testing. But the overwhelming fear is that it will not -- because of economic reasons. There is no longer a patent on DCA so it is not owned by any one company. With little chance of one group making a large profit, there may be no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research.
Sadly, this drug -- that appears to work remarkably well -- may never benefit cancer patients. All because no one stands to make billions of dollars from it.
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1. This is where Lance Armstrong needs to step up and put some of that LiveSTrong money on the line.
I don't see much of anything else being done with that money, I tried to get a scholarship to retrain after cancer, and never got an answer from them. So let him use that braclet money on DCA and give us all something to hope for.
Posted at 6:04PM on Jan 24th 2007 by Brit 0 stars