Oxygen against cancer

1994/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Researchers believe that oxygen can offer an interesting solution in the fight against cancer. It has been shown that the effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy is cancelled when oxygen is lacking. Beverly Teicher, a member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and her team propose the introduction of perfusion oxygen in low-oxygen areas.

The reverse route is the use of medications that are only activated when there is little oxygen. It uses genetically modified anaerobic bacteria as it produces an enzyme that activates the antitumor drug. The bacteria injected into the body develop in tumors with low oxygen content, thus releasing the activating enzyme. The anticancer drug is called CD 1954 and nitrorreductase only becomes cytotoxic when there is an enzyme.

Stanford University's Martin Brown team has shown that the bacteria only develop in tumors. Now it is only necessary to add the 1954 CD to check that it is activated in living beings.