Researchers have tested oleic acid, a molecule present in olive oil specifically, against one of the most common and aggressive brain cancers. The first patients responded well to the treatment.
Glioblastoma Brain is the most common cancer in adults. It is also One of the most aggressive.
“Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most invasive, aggressive and malignant tumor of the central nervous system. It has an effect 3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants“Pasteur informs the institute. “An incurable form of cancer, its median survival is 14.6 months. Despite current treatments, surgery is based on radiotherapy andChemotherapy Concomitantly, recurrence of GBM is almost inevitable.”
Researchers are trying to find more effective treatments. Recently, the British-Spanish team Tested a new molecule : 2-OHOA. This is a synthetic lipid A derivative of oleic acidNaturally occurring in animal and vegetable fats, of which olive oil.
The drug has been evaluated In phase 1/2 studies, In 21 patients with recurrent glioblastomas As part of the study. A quarter of participants responded, and one patient responded “Exceptional”The Great Britain-based Cancer Research Institute said.
How does this new drug work?
Everything happens At the cellular level. The outer layer of cells, called the membrane, is “abnormal” in cancer cells. This difference allows it to attack other healthy cells using signals that stimulate disease growth.
The 2-OHOA molecule manages to modify the membrane structure of cancer cells, thus blocking these signals. For this reason, The drug inhibits the growth of cancer cells, And so the cancer progresses.
“Glioblastoma is an incredibly difficult disease to treat and patients with advanced disease have very poor outcomes, often living only a year after their diagnosis”Dr Juanita Lopez, consultant medical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and reader in early stage drug development at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, laments the leader of the phase 1/2 study.
“In nearly two decades there have been no new effective treatments for this group of patients, Hence there is an urgent need to speed up drug development“
“Unfortunately, brain cancer patients often do not have the opportunity to participate in early stage trials. This highlights the critical importance of research into new drugs such as 2-OHOA, which is made from the same building blocks as olive oil. The drug works by remodeling the walls of cancer cells, blocking critical growth signals that cause cancer.”She summarizes.
Evaluation in Global Studies
Medicine is currently Tested a second timeas part of’A global study The randomized phase 2b/3 study focused on new cases of glioblastoma.
“By including patients with glioblastoma in this study, we were able to demonstrate more quickly Preliminary and promising resultssupports their inclusion in phase 2b/3 trials. We are waiting for the results Trials are ongoing and hopefully this treatment will eventually become widely available.
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