Methionine in the news again

[Guest guest]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070514/D8P4CUEG0.html

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Two professors at the University of Oklahoma say

they've developed a protein that can stop the spread of certain cancer

cells without damaging normal cells.

Pento and on helped develop a fusion protein that keeps some types of cancer cells from ingesting a vital protein called methionine. The fusion protein doesn't affect normal cells because, unlike cancer cells, they can be healthy without that protein.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapies kill normal cells along with cancer cells, which often cause sickness and hair loss.

" has created a mechanism that delivers these compounds

specifically to the surface of cancer cells so normal cells won't be

affected but only the cancer cells will be damaged," Pento said.

"So you can see it would cause a lot less toxicity and it should really be a lot more effective."

Pento is a Noble Foundation presidential professor of pharmacy at the

OU Health Sciences Center; on is an associate professor of

chemical, biological and materials engineering on the Norman campus.

They worked with other OU scientists, including Xiao-Ping Zang, Naveen

Palwai, Lerner and Dan Brackett, research director at the Health

Sciences Center's surgery department.

Pento said the research started with breast cancer and expanded to include other types of solid tumors.

They found the fusion protein to be just as helpful in fighting lung, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

"It could be applicable to many types of cancer," Pento said, "but

we've found that it's effective for those four types of cancer for

sure."

Despite successful testing to this point, on said the fusion

protein will need another round of animal tests before moving on to

years of human clinical testing.

Three phases of clinical tests could take two years each.

"So it could be in the order of 10 years," he said.

"It sounds so far away, but realistically, given the FDA and all the phases of testing, it could be done rapidly."

The two professors have applied for patents on their technology and

plan to conduct animal testing themselves before launching their own

company or licensing with a large pharmaceutical company to do it.

"If you don't patent it and get that protection, then no pharmaceutical

company is going to spend the half to three-quarter billion dollars

that it takes to do the clinical testing and to get this drug on the

market," Pento said.

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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com