A potential new weapon in the fight against bladder cancer

A team of researchers from the University of Rhode Island and Providence Miriam Hospital have demonstrated a potential new weapon

The researchers showed that a cancer-seeking molecule called pHLIP, in combination with an FDA-approved fluorescent dye called ICG, could successfully target tumors in the human bladder, illuminating cancerous foci and making it easier for surgeons to see and remove them

The researchers say the discovery may set the stage for a potential clinical trial to test the effectiveness

"Bladder cancer can be a devastating disease, and case rates are on the rise, especially in Rhode Island," said

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Urology

Reshetnyk and Oleg Andreev, also professors of physics at URI, have been developing pHLIP technology as potential cancer fighters since 2004 as part of

The pHLIP (abbreviation for pH-Low Inserted Peptide) molecule is derived from mycosopiasin purpurine, a membrane protein that enables some single-celled organisms to convert light into energy

Reshetnayak said: "We know that cancer cells tend to be acidic, and here we have this peptide that only crosses the cell membrane

She collaborated with Andreev and Engelman to further study the peptide, and the results showed that it could indeed target cancer cells without affecting the surrounding healthy cells

Golijanin's team selected 26 patients who needed to have their bladders removed as part of

Golijanin said the results show that philips-icg have potential

Golijanin said: "We showed that you can inject phillips-icg 15 minutes before surgery for cystoscopy, and you can see all the malignant lesions

This result expands the prospects for

In the second part of the study, the team tested the binding
of pHLIP to a toxin extracted from mushrooms, lanolin.
Using several different types of breast and bladder cancer cell lines, experiments have shown that when cancer cells have a low pH, phospholipid-stineine is able to penetrate and kill cancer cells
.
These results suggest that in the case of a normal pH, phospholipid-sheep fecal can successfully target and kill malignant lesions while minimizing the effect on
surrounding cells.

A Phase I clinical trial led by Cybrexa Therapeutics is currently testing pHLIP's association
with another cytotoxic drug, exatecan.
These new results suggest that phospholipids-sheep feces may be another potential treatment combination
.

Taken together, the researchers say, the results suggest that pHLIP can be used for the diagnosis, surgery and treatment
of bladder cancer.

Golijanin said: "This approach to imaging and treatment go hand in hand because they follow the sample principle
.
" "I think it has the potential to revolutionize the way
we treat non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
"