Research express | "old therapies" have a significant impact on pediatric brain tumors

Copper has been clinically improving people's lives since around 1500 BC, when an Egyptian physician first documented its use

A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE describes this prospective therapy — combining

According to the National Cancer Institute, medulloblastoma is a fast-growing, cancerous tumor that originates in the brain or spinal cord

Overall, children with uncontroduced medulloblastoma have a survival rate of about 70%, but depending on the age of the patient, the molecular subtype of the tumor (there are four), surgical removal of the previous tumor, and whether there is metastasis (spread to other parts of the body

Recent medically-led research by Johns Hopkins University has looked at alternative therapies

"Disulfiram [DSF], a drug that has been used to treat chronic alcoholism for nearly 70 years, is promising to be 'repurposed' as an anti-cancer agent, especially when it is complexed with metal ions such as copper [Cu++]," said

"Our goal is to pave the way for successful treatments that can be used in children, either alone or in combination with conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy," said

In the study, led by Riccardo Serra, a postdoctoral researcher at the Taylor and Brem Brain Tumor Laboratory and a resident of neurosurgery at the University of Maryland, the researchers tested the anti-cancer activity of DSF-Cu++ and tried to determine what it aims to achieve at the molecular level — whether in cell cultures or mice

"As the pathway shuts down, these proteins accumulate in tumors, causing malignant cells to die and labeling them for clearance by the immune system," Brem said

Second, the researchers found that DSF-Cu++ not only kills tube celloma-forming cells, but also reduces the number of cells

"Cancer stem cells initiate the process that leads to tumorigenesis [tumor birth] and play a role in cancer recurrence and metastasis from the tumor's original location after treatment," Taylor said

The third finding of the study suggests that DSF-CU++ impairs the ability of neurotransk celloma cells to repair their DNA damage, thereby enhancing the cytotoxicity (cell killing) ability

"This suggests that DSF-Cu++ prevents cancer cells from recovering after destroying the genes that control their growth and survival, which is a clear therapeutic advantage," Brem said

Finally, the researchers tested the effect of DSF and copper binding on the survival rate of mice with two subtypes of medulloblastoma implanted in