prostate cancer. They expect to report top-line results from these studies later this year.
More Discoveries Other investigators who have developed promising nanotechnologies for cancer include Mark Davis, PhD, of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, who has developed a nanoparticle for the delivery of chemotherapeutics and small interfering RNA (siRNA), which is currently being tested in clinical trials; Chad Mirkin, PhD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, who has designed a wide range of diagnostic devices for the detection of biomarkers; and James Heath, PhD, also of Caltech, who has developed devices that monitor levels of protein in the blood and in single cells, which are being used in immunotherapy clinical trials. “We have a good mix of diagnostic and therapeutic discoveries that are becoming more practical,” Dr. Grodzinski says, noting that in therapeutics, promising new nanoparticle platforms not only appear to reduce side effects but also enable greater accumulations of drugs at the tumor site. He points to 2 other NCI Alliance nanotechnology initiatives that are helping to advance the field. The first, known as the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL), performs preclinical efficacy and toxicity testing of nanoparticles. The NCL serves as a resource for cancer researchers investigating nanoscale particles and devices and is a collaboration between the NCI, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the FDA. The second is a public-private industry partnership known as Translation of Nanotechnology in Cancer. The consortium
brings together government entities as well as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other health care-related companies to expose them to and seek their input on future directions of nanotherapeutics.
Our group and others are finding that when drugs are modified with nanoparticles, they are less toxic and stay in the tumor much longer. — Dean Ho, PhD Dr. Grodzinski hopes to see more clinicians involved in the early development of cancer nanotechnologies well before the clinical trial stage. “We need to have a broader exposure of these technologies to practicing clinicians so they can guide the selection of the application and become more involved in the design process,” he says. Drs. Grodzinski, Langer, and Ho agree that nanotechnology faces the same challenges as other new cancer treatments and diagnostics in terms of funding, regulatory pathways, and weighing risks versus benefits. Nevertheless, they anticipate seeing FDA approvals for some of these new nanoparticles and devices within the next 5 years. Although it is not completely clear how these materials might affect patients in the long term, that should not discourage scientists and clinicians from working to bring them into the clinic, Dr. Ho says. “People should embrace [nanotechnology] and learn as much as they can about it, because the benefits are there.” DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28982
A
spirin appears to lower the risk of colorectal cancer among individuals whose colons have high levels of a specific gene product known as 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15PGDH) RNA, according to findings from a recent study.1 In the study, a multiinstitutional team analyzed data and other material from 2 long-term studies with nearly 128,000 participants. Researchers found that although aspirin dramatically reduced the possibility of developing colon cancer among individuals with 15-PGDH RNA, it provided no benefit to those whose colons showed low levels of the gene. Previous studies have indicated that aspirin can lower the risk of colorectal cancer. This recent retrospective study could explain why aspirin benefits some patients and not others, the authors say. The researchers found that those who had high levels of 15-PGDH and took aspirin reduced their risk of colon cancer by 50%. The team included researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Investigators examined tissue from 270 patients with colon cancer from the pool of participants followed for more than 30 years in the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In earlier research, some of the researchers found that the presence of 15-PGDH appeared to enhance the ability of the antiinflammatory medication celecoxib to prevent colon tumors in mice and in 16 individuals tested. In this study, researchers tapped into the much larger study to examine the effect of 15PGDH levels in relation to aspirin, which many individuals already take and which does not have the cardiovascular side effects of celecoxib. Researchers say that next steps include the development of a cost-effective test for measuring 15-PGDH levels in the colon as well as a prospective clinical trial to further confirm the study’s findings.
Reference 1. Fink SP, Yamauchi M, Nishihara R, et al. Aspirin and the risk of colorectal cancer in relation to the expression of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD). Sci Transl Med. 2014:233:233re2. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28983
© HURST PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Aspirin Can Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Specific Cases
Content in this section does not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the American Cancer Society or of the publisher unless otherwise noted. © American Cancer Society, 2014.
Cancer
September 15, 2014
2783
More Discoveries Other investigators who have developed promising nanotechnologies for cancer include Mark Davis, PhD, of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, who has developed a nanoparticle for the delivery of chemotherapeutics and small interfering RNA (siRNA), which is currently being tested in clinical trials; Chad Mirkin, PhD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, who has designed a wide range of diagnostic devices for the detection of biomarkers; and James Heath, PhD, also of Caltech, who has developed devices that monitor levels of protein in the blood and in single cells, which are being used in immunotherapy clinical trials. “We have a good mix of diagnostic and therapeutic discoveries that are becoming more practical,” Dr. Grodzinski says, noting that in therapeutics, promising new nanoparticle platforms not only appear to reduce side effects but also enable greater accumulations of drugs at the tumor site. He points to 2 other NCI Alliance nanotechnology initiatives that are helping to advance the field. The first, known as the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL), performs preclinical efficacy and toxicity testing of nanoparticles. The NCL serves as a resource for cancer researchers investigating nanoscale particles and devices and is a collaboration between the NCI, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the FDA. The second is a public-private industry partnership known as Translation of Nanotechnology in Cancer. The consortium
brings together government entities as well as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other health care-related companies to expose them to and seek their input on future directions of nanotherapeutics.
Our group and others are finding that when drugs are modified with nanoparticles, they are less toxic and stay in the tumor much longer. — Dean Ho, PhD Dr. Grodzinski hopes to see more clinicians involved in the early development of cancer nanotechnologies well before the clinical trial stage. “We need to have a broader exposure of these technologies to practicing clinicians so they can guide the selection of the application and become more involved in the design process,” he says. Drs. Grodzinski, Langer, and Ho agree that nanotechnology faces the same challenges as other new cancer treatments and diagnostics in terms of funding, regulatory pathways, and weighing risks versus benefits. Nevertheless, they anticipate seeing FDA approvals for some of these new nanoparticles and devices within the next 5 years. Although it is not completely clear how these materials might affect patients in the long term, that should not discourage scientists and clinicians from working to bring them into the clinic, Dr. Ho says. “People should embrace [nanotechnology] and learn as much as they can about it, because the benefits are there.” DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28982
A
spirin appears to lower the risk of colorectal cancer among individuals whose colons have high levels of a specific gene product known as 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15PGDH) RNA, according to findings from a recent study.1 In the study, a multiinstitutional team analyzed data and other material from 2 long-term studies with nearly 128,000 participants. Researchers found that although aspirin dramatically reduced the possibility of developing colon cancer among individuals with 15-PGDH RNA, it provided no benefit to those whose colons showed low levels of the gene. Previous studies have indicated that aspirin can lower the risk of colorectal cancer. This recent retrospective study could explain why aspirin benefits some patients and not others, the authors say. The researchers found that those who had high levels of 15-PGDH and took aspirin reduced their risk of colon cancer by 50%. The team included researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Investigators examined tissue from 270 patients with colon cancer from the pool of participants followed for more than 30 years in the Harvard-based Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. In earlier research, some of the researchers found that the presence of 15-PGDH appeared to enhance the ability of the antiinflammatory medication celecoxib to prevent colon tumors in mice and in 16 individuals tested. In this study, researchers tapped into the much larger study to examine the effect of 15PGDH levels in relation to aspirin, which many individuals already take and which does not have the cardiovascular side effects of celecoxib. Researchers say that next steps include the development of a cost-effective test for measuring 15-PGDH levels in the colon as well as a prospective clinical trial to further confirm the study’s findings.
Reference 1. Fink SP, Yamauchi M, Nishihara R, et al. Aspirin and the risk of colorectal cancer in relation to the expression of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD). Sci Transl Med. 2014:233:233re2. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.28983
© HURST PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Aspirin Can Reduce Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Specific Cases
Content in this section does not reflect any official policy or medical opinion of the American Cancer Society or of the publisher unless otherwise noted. © American Cancer Society, 2014.
Cancer
September 15, 2014
2783
