Narrow Results

With the continuous advancements in modern medicine, significant progress has been made in the treatment of lung cancer. Current standard treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, have notably improved patient survival. However, the adverse effects associated with these therapies limit their use and impact the overall treatment process. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown holistic, multi-target, and multi-level therapeutic effects. Numerous studies have highlighted the importance of TCM’s role in the comprehensive management of lung cancer, demonstrating its benefits in inhibiting tumor growth, reducing complications, mitigating side effects, and enhancing the efficacy of conventional treatments. Here, we review the main mechanisms of TCM in combating lung cancer, inducing cancer cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. These include inhibiting lung cancer cell growth and proliferation, inhibiting cancer cell invasion and metastasis, suppressing angiogenesis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), and modulating antitumor inflammatory responses and immune evasion. This paper aims to summarize recent advancements in the application of TCM for lung cancer, emphasizing its unique advantages and distinctive features. In promoting the benefits of TCM, we seek to provide valuable insights for the integrated treatment of lung cancer.

Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are alternative treatments to differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), which is usually treated with surgery and radioactive iodine. However, in advanced thyroid carcinomas, molecular alterations can cause a progressive loss of iodine sensitivity, thereby making cancer resistant to radioactive iodine-refractory (RAIR). In the treatment of cancer, tyrosine kinase inhibitors are administered to prevent the growth of cancer cells. One such inhibitor, lenvatinib, forms a targeted therapy for RAIR-DTC, while the immunotherapeutic pembrolizumab, a humanized antibody, prevents the binding of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) to the PD-1 receptor. As one of the first studies on treatments for thyroid cancer with mathematical model involving immunotherapy and targeted therapy, we developed an ordinary differential system and tested variables such as concentration of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab, total cancer cells, and number of immune cells (i.e., T cells and natural killer cells). Analyzing local and global stability and the simulated action of drugs in patients with RAIR-DTC, revealed the combined effect of the targeted therapy with pembrolizumab. The scenarios obtained favor the combined therapy as the best treatment option, given its unrivaled ability to boost the immune system’s rate of eliminating tumor cells.

SINGAPORE – A New Way of Looking at Cancer

SINGAPORE – Novel Discovery by NUS Scientists Improves Profiling of AML Patients for Targeted Therapies

SINGAPORE – Red Meat Consumption Linked with Increased Risk of Developing Kidney Failure

SINGAPORE – Thomson Medical and UK-based Cell Therapy Limited Collaborate on Stem Cell Research to Develop Regenerative Medicines

UNITED STATES – New Biomaterial Developed for Injectable Neuronal Control

UNITED STATES – Research Shines Light on Lesser Known Form of Vitamin D in Foods

UNITED STATES – MRIGlobal to Lead International Research Collaboration for Tularemia Vaccine

INDIA – Improving Agricultural Yield and Quality through Tissue Culture Technology

TAIWAN – A Cascade of Protein Aggregation Bombards Mitochondria for Neurodegeneration and Apoptosis under WWOX Deficiency

Cancer in Women – Trends in Singapore

Impact of Subsidies on Genetic Testing Uptake in Singapore: Is it Feasible?

The Future of Radiation Oncology

Targeted Therapies in Oncology: Where We Are and What Lies Ahead

The following topics are under this section:

• Repurposing of Waste
• Brain Tumours: Identifying Patients for Targeted Therapy
• Metabolic Imaging

In this research article, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(phenyl)porphyrin (H₂TPP) was produced and characterized. Then, radiolabeling of H₂TPP was performed using the carrier free Y-90 which was prepared by the use of a home-made yttrium imprinted sorbent. The radiolabeling procedure was accomplished at 60 $deg$ C during 12 h with a suitable radiochemical purity (95 ± 2% ITLC, 99 ± 0.5% HPLC) and specific activity of (1.0 ± 0.1 GBq/mmol). The obtained radio-labeled H₂TPP in final formulation was kept for a week in order to investigate the complex stability. Accordingly, the partition coefficient was calculated as log $P=$ 2.05. Furthermore, the biodistribution of the ${}^{90}$Y–TPP was determined in vital organs of normal wild-type rats using scarification studies. The kidneys could mostly remove the radio-complexes from the blood circulation and in less extends from the liver. As a result it is expected that due to its lipophilicity the higher mitochondrial and thus, tumor cell uptake of this radiolabeled porphyrin happens and therefore ${}^{90}$Y–TPP could act as an efficient potential agent for targeted therapy of tumor.

We reported the development of multifunctional poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-lecithin-polyethylene glycol (PEG) core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) that combined the beneficial properties of liposome and polymeric NPs for chemotherapeutics delivery. The particle size, surface charge and surface functional groups were easily tunable in highly reproducible manner by various formulation parameters such as lipid/polymer, 1, 2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DSPE)-PEG-COOH/lecithin, DSPE-PEG-COOH/DSPE-PEG-NH₂ mass ratio and modification of terminal groups of DSPE-PEG. We encapsulated model chemotherapy drug, hydrophilic cisplatin (DDP) or hydrophobic DDP prodrug, in the NPs and showed high encapsulation efficiency, excellent stability, specific FA targeting recognition for MCF-7 cells with over FA receptors expression and pretty cytotoxicity. Such PLGA–lecithin–PEG core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were proved to be a promising drug delivery nanocarrier for cancer-targeted therapy.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the antitumor advantages of human mammaglobin (MGB) antibody-modified shikonin (SK)-loaded liposomes (MGB-SK-LPs) in the treatment of breast cancer. Methods: MGB-SK-LPs were prepared via the solvent evaporation method, and their encapsulation rate, drug-loading capacity and in vitro release performance were determined after characterization and analysis. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was used as a probe to investigate the cell uptake behavior. The MTT method was used to investigate the cytotoxicity and proliferation behavior, whereas flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of MGB-SK-LPs on tumor cell apoptosis. The antitumor activity of the xenograft tumor model in nude mice was also evaluated. Results: MGB-SK-LPs had a particle size of $208.1\pm 3.7$ nm and a zeta potential of $17.2\pm 4.3$mV. The encapsulation rate of SK and the drug-loading capacity of MGB-liposomes to SK were $89.34\%\pm 0.93\%$ and $25.08\%\pm 0.49\%$, respectively. The MGB-SK-LPs had a sustained-release function with spherical morphology. MGB-SK-LPs, which had low cytotoxicity, can be ingested by breast cancer cells and inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis. In vivo antitumor activity of SK was significantly enhanced by liposome encapsulation and MGB-targeted modification. Conclusions: MGB-SK-LPs prepared in this study can specifically target breast cancer cells, effectively concentrate drugs on the surface of the tumor cells, and release them slowly. Moreover, they can significantly enhance the antitumor therapeutic effect of SK in vivo, providing a promising solution for targeted treatment of breast cancer.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA)drugs have great potential in the field of anti-tumor, but they have poor biological stability and are easily degraded by nucleases in vivo, resulting in poor bioavailability. In this study, a novel albumin Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanocarrier was prepared to efficiently deliver siRNA to glioma cells to achieve tumor-targeted therapy. Recombinant VAR2CSA protein (RVP) targeting albumin PLGA nanocarriers (RVP–APN–siRNA) loaded with EGFR-siRNA were prepared by a double emulsion method. Determine its characterization performance, loading rate, in vitro release and cell uptake, and investigate the effects of nanoparticles on the cytotoxicity, proliferation and apoptosis of brain glioma cells. The prepared nanoparticles are spherical with uniform particle size, the average particle size distribution is 120–180 nm, the average potential distribution is 20–30 mv, and the loading rate is 82.36 ± 1.84%. The release rate of siRNA within 24 h is 93%, with low cytotoxicity and targeting performance, effectively inhibiting the activity of glioma cells. The prepared albumin nanoparticles have good physical and chemical properties, and have dual functions of targeted recognition of glioma cells and tumor treatment. They are efficient and safe nano-carriers for tumor-targeted treatment, and have good potential in the application of siRNA-targeted drug delivery.

Stem cells possess a distinctive capability for self-renewal and differentiation which enables their characterization. An increased understanding of stem cell biology toward the end of the 20th century, and the realization of their uncanny similarities with cancer cell behavior, led to the proposal of the provocative “stem cell theory of cancer” in the early part of this century. The two tenets of this theory are that (i) cancers originate in normal, adult stem cells and (ii) cancers harbor a subpopulation of “cancer stem cells” (CSCs) that drive cancer growth. Identification of CSCs from several cancers and their intricate association with drug resistance has revolutionized the field of cancer biology by changing our understanding of cancer development and strategies to treat cancer. Our book chapter aims to broaden the current knowledge on CSCs by providing a summary of their origin, isolation, and targeting strategies with special emphasis on breast CSCs.

The poor prognosis for patients with metastatic cancer and the toxic side effects of currently available treatments necessitate the development of more effective tumor-selective therapies. Dosage of systemically administered chemotherapeutic agents is limited by the toxicity to normal tissues, often precluding achievement of therapeutic indices of sufficient levels to affect complete cures. Malignant brain tumors pose further limitations to available therapies due to the infiltrative nature of the tumor cells throughout the brain and the presence of the blood–brain barrier. Novel anti-cancer treatment approaches must be more tumor-localized and tumor cell-selective to improve effectiveness and clinical outcome.

Neural stem (and/or progenitor) cells (NSCs) display inherent tumor-tropic properties that can be exploited for targeted delivery of anti-cancer agents to invasive and metastatic tumors. We and others have previously demonstrated that NSCs can deliver bioactive therapeutic agents to elicit a significant anti-tumor response in animal models of intracranial glioma, medulloblastoma and melanoma brain metastases. Recent studies demonstrate retention of tumor-tropic properties when NSCs are injected into the peripheral vasculature, localizing to multiple tumor sites in animal models of disseminated neuroblastoma and orthotopic breast carcinoma, with little accumulation in normal tissues. We postulate that this NSC-mediated, tumor-selective approach can maximize local concentrations of anti-cancer agents to tumor foci, while minimizing toxicity to normal tissues. This would potentially achieve therapeutic indices sufficient to eradicate invasive tumors that are otherwise lethal.

Several well-characterized immortalized murine and human NSC lines have been extensively studied for the determination of their therapeutic potential in animal tumor models of glioblastoma, melanoma brain metastases, medulloblastoma, and disseminated neuroblastoma. In all invasive and metastatic solid tumor models, 70–90% therapeutic efficacy was achieved as measured by increased long-term survival or decreased tumor burden. Other studies in the literature demonstrated the achievement of similar results with nonimmortalized NSC pools modified with various therapeutic genes, further verifying the NSC tumor tropism phenomenon. However, these pools are more difficult to keep consistent over time and passage, adding more variability to pre-clinical trials and more difficulty in creating uniform master cell banks for clinical trials.

We suggest that using a stable, sustainable and easily expandable clonal NSC line will circumvent the problems associated with characterization, senescence, and replenishment sources of primary stem cell pools. It would also allow for cost-effective and accessible patient trials. At the very least, such NSC lines can serve in proof-of-concept pre-clinical studies, where tumor types and therapeutic regimens are being tested. Preliminary biodistribution studies indicate that one such immortalized human NSC line (HB1.F3) is safe, non-immunogenic and non-tumorigenic. Furthermore, these cells retain their tumor-tropic property when modified to express therapeutic transgenes. Genomic stability and retention of tumor-tropic properties over time and passage has also been confirmed, making it a very promising line for clinical trials.

Regardless of which NSCs move towards therapeutic cancer trials, safety and feasibility would be best assessed first in patients with no alternative treatments, such as recurrent high-grade gliomas. These aggressive tumor cells infiltrate normal brain, and are not readily treatable by resection, irradiation, chemotherapy or gene therapy. In rodent models of orthotopic human brain tumors, it has been demonstrated that HB1.F3 NSCs can selectively target invasive tumor cells and distant micro tumor foci, achieving therapeutic efficacy with an enzyme/prodrug strategy. This serves as one example of many different anti-cancer agents that could be similarly delivered to tumor sites throughout the body.