by Michigan State University scientists have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer that is currently incurable. The researchers have discovered a drug-like compound called Ogremorphin (OGM), which has shown great promise in killing glioblastoma cells while leaving normal cells unharmed.
Led by Charles Hong, Chair of the Department of Medicine at MSU College of Human Medicine, the study was published in the journal Experimental Hematology and Oncology. Hong believes that this discovery could be a significant step towards finding a cure for glioblastoma.
The key to OGM’s effectiveness lies in its precision. The researchers targeted an acid sensor called GPR68/OGR1 on the cancer cell membranes, disrupting a crucial signaling pathway that cancer cells rely on to survive and grow. By cutting off their lifeline, OGM essentially kills the glioblastoma cells without harming healthy cells.
According to Hong, the OGM compound has proven to be effective in killing every tested brain cancer cell line. The promising results of this research could have implications beyond glioblastoma, as other types of cancer also acidify their tumor environment to thrive and evade traditional therapies. This discovery could potentially lead to the development of treatments for other types of cancer as well.
The current standard treatment for glioblastoma includes a combination of brain surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. However, even with this treatment, the median survival period following diagnosis is only 15 to 18 months, with a five-year survival rate of just 10%. This is mostly due to cancer recurrence and treatment resistance.
Hong and his colleagues have not only found an explanation for how an acidic tumor environment enables cancer cells to survive and evade chemotherapy, but they have also discovered a drug candidate, OGM, that can selectively kill these cells without harming healthy cells.
While this discovery is an important first step, developing a treatment for human glioblastoma patients will require years of further research. Hong hopes to begin human trials within the next five years. If successful, this breakthrough could revolutionize the treatment of glioblastoma and potentially other types of cancer as well.
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal forms of brain cancer, making this research a significant advancement in the field. The potential of OGM to target and kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells is a promising development that brings hope to patients and their families who are affected by this devastating disease
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
