Targeted blood clotting therapy for lung cancer
Abstracts
Initial Award Abstract |
|
Traditional therapies for the treatment of solid tumors in man have focused on the eradication of individual tumor cells. Newer approaches, however are being developed treat the whole tumor, including other constituents such as the blood vessels, which are required for the continued growth and spread of cancer to neighboring tissues. In order to develop humane therapies which treat the tumor alone, our laboratory has explored the use of antibodies which can target different components of the tumor including its blood supply. In this proposal, we intend to explore the feasibility of using these antibodies to target a potent inducer of blood clotting for the purpose of clotting the blood supply of the tumor. If successful, this novel approach will cause rapid tumor cell death by starving the tumor of its blood supply thereby generating an effective therapy for thy elimination of the cancer. Since these targeting methods can be used for essentially all solid tumors, it is proposed that this new method of cancer therapy will have widespread application for treating lung cancers if successful.
Furthermore, these reagents will be compatible in humans because of their design and are therefore capable of being used in subsequent clinical trials once they have been shown to be effective in animal models. Tobacco-related cancer has remained an enormous medical problem in our community and new methods are needed to tackle this devastating disease. The approach outlined in this proposal is novel in scope but has the potential of addressing the acute shortage of effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this oftentimes fatal disease. |
