Synthesizing Drugs in the Body! Groundbreaking research that will change the future of cancer treatment

Catalyst is Created in Mouse Blood and Carried to Cancer for Chemotherapy

Professor Katsunori Tanaka and his research team at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a revolutionary cancer treatment. Using a protein in the blood of mice, they produce a drug directly in the body that attacks cancer cells. This research has the potential to revolutionize the conventional concept of cancer treatment.

Why produce drugs inside the body?

Conventional cancer treatment generally involves killing cancer cells by administering anticancer drugs into the body. However, anticancer drugs have the problem of damaging normal cells and causing side effects.

Therefore, Professor Tanaka and his research team came up with a new approach: synthesizing drugs directly in the body. Synthesizing drugs inside the body has the potential to reduce side effects and attack cancer cells more effectively.

Using Blood Proteins as a Raw Material

The team focused on albumin, a type of protein found in the blood of mice. Albumin carries a variety of substances in the body. By combining a metal catalyst and a substance used as a raw material for drugs with albumin, the team succeeded in creating an artificial enzyme in the body.

Role of Artificial Enzymes

This artificial enzyme has the following two functions

Specific accumulation in cancer cells: The artificial enzyme binds specifically to cancer cells and thus selectively collects in cancer cells.

Drug synthesis: Once the artificial enzyme reaches the cancer cells, it synthesizes a drug that attacks the cancer cells.

Innovative aspects of this research

Drug synthesis in the body: The drug is synthesized directly in the body, thus reducing side effects.

Selectivity for cancer cells: The artificial enzyme binds specifically to cancer cells, minimizing damage to normal cells.

Versatile applicability: By using various types of metal catalysts and drug ingredients, it is expected to develop effective therapies for various types of cancers.

Future Prospects

Although this research is still in the experimental stage using mice, it is expected to be applied to humans in the future. If this technology is put to practical use, it will greatly expand the options for cancer treatment and may lead to an improvement in the quality of life of many patients.

Conclusion

This research shows new possibilities for cancer treatment, and future developments are expected. The concept of synthesizing drugs in the body may bring about a major innovation in the field of medicine.