New design of engineered arginine depleting enzymes as multi-potent anti-cancer agents
- Date:
- September 21, 2016
- Source:
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Summary:
- A novel multi-potent drug removes arginine from the blood and kills cancer cells, report scientists. Arginine is an essential amino acid for the growth of cancer cells.
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Arginine deprivation has become a new cancer treatment paradigm and has exploited for treatment of various cancers. Arginine is an essential amino acid for the growth of cancer cells. Deprivation of arginine induces cancer cells death but it is generally well tolerated in normal cells. The successful use of Arginine Deiminase (ADI) to treat argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS)-deficient tumors has opened up new possibilities for targeted therapy. Nevertheless, many ASSpositive cancers are resistance to ADI.
By rational drug design, researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a thermostable arginase (BCA-PEG20) to treat both ADI-sensitive and ADI-resistant cancers. BCA-PEG20 has demonstrated to have antitumor activities both in vitro and in vivo in lung cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer and other tumors. As a novel multipotent anti-cancer drug, BCA-PEG20 is able to work as a single agent and combine with other chemotherapeutic agents to enhance treatment effect.
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Materials provided by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Chung Leung et al. Pegylated derivatives of recombinant human arginase (rhArg1) for sustained in vivo activity in cancer therapy: preparation, characterization and analysis of their pharmacodynamics in vivo and in vitro and action upon hepatocellular carcinoma cell (H CC). Cancer Cell International, v. 9, Article No. 9, 2009, Ap
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