EMBARGOED UNTIL March 31, 2003. 5PM EST
Press contact: Lynn Laurenti
561/297 4422
laurenti@fau.edu
[Note: Dr. Narayanan is available for interview. Please call him on his cellphone at 561/445-0943.]
FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS SUCCESSFULLY TEST NEW COLON CANCER DRUG
Results to be published today in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA
BOCA RATON, FL, March 31, 2003 - Researchers at Florida Atlantic University have successfully tested a new drug for human colon cancer in animal models. Their findings will be published today in the on-line edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA http://www.pnas.org.
A research team headed by Dr. Ramaswamy Narayanan in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science developed the drug using a gene found on chromosome 21 that is normally associated with Down's syndrome. Dr. Narayanan and his research associates detected a product of that gene, called SIM2, in colon, pancreas and prostate cancers.
"The fact that the SIM2 gene product is not present in most other normal tissues raised the possibility that a relatively non-toxic drug could be developed that would prevent this gene from helping the cancers to grow," Dr. Narayanan said.
He and his team designed such a drug using a second generation antisense technology, which prevents genes from producing cancer-nourishing proteins by putting a molecular patch in place. This new class of antisense is devoid of problems that were associated with the first generation antisense compounds, Dr. Narayanan says. "It's almost like sticking a piece of Velcro on the gene," he explains. In mouse models bearing human colon cancer, the new drug inhibited tumor growth without serious toxicity. Dr. Narayanan says that drugs of this type have the potential to move treatment away from conventional cytotoxic drugs, which have serious side effects.
The article in which this discovery is reported is titled "Identification of Down's syndrome critical locus gene SIM2-s as a drug therapy target for solid tumors." It was co-authored by Maurice Phil De Young and Matthew Tress, graduate researchers in the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.
"Discoveries such as the one we have made shows the power of harnessing the human genome," Dr. Narayanan says. The SIM2 gene was discovered two years ago in Dr. Narayanan's laboratory through an investigative approach called bioinformatics. FAU was the first university in Florida's State University System to develop a course in bioinformatics. This research was facilitated by the availability of a state-of-the-art instrument called the Affymetrix GeneChip machine - one of just three in the state funded by a special federal grant. This highly sophisticated piece of equipment is able to process genes at high speed and identify those that are active only in cancer cells.
"Our current discovery is one example of how focused biomedical research can be advanced rapidly to benefit patients," Dr. Narayanan says. "We will be glad to make the Affymetrix GeneChip machine available to other cancer researchers in South Florida."
Cancers of the colon and rectum are the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancers and rank second among cancer deaths in the United States. Colorectal cancer touches the lives of many Americans. This year, it is estimated that more than 148,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed. More than 56,000 people die from this disease annually, making it a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month is observed every March.
In addition to serving on the FAU science faculty, Dr. Narayanan is founder and president of Forseti Biosciences, Inc., the public university's first biotechnology spin-off company. Forseti Biosciences is working to bring the benefits of Dr. Narayanan's discoveries to the medical marketplace. For more information on the SIM2 gene and other aspects of Dr. Narayanan's genetic research, contact him by cellphone at 561/445-0943 or by e-mail at rnarayanan@fau.edu.
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