SAN ANTONIO – Scientists at UT Health San Antonio have made a major breakthrough regarding treatment for diseases like brain cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Researchers found they might be able to turn IV drugs into oral treatments.
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According to an article from UT Health San Antonio, this discovery could reshape how medicines are designed, delivered and given to patients.
At this time, complex and large-molecule drugs for severe cancers and other diseases cannot be given in pill form because they are not easily absorbed. This means it must be given intravenously or through infusion.
New research shows a strategy called chemical endocytic medicinal chemistry could change that.
“It also can promote any drug crossing the blood-brain barrier. This will remarkably broaden the number of agents we have to treat brain cancer or dementia,” said Robert A. Hromas, MD, FACP, dean of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio.
This strategy uses the body’s own protein receptors found on the surface of cells called CD36 to help large and water-soluble “polar” drugs enter cells more efficiently, according to UT Health San Antonio.
The findings were published April 17 in the journal Cell, titled, “C36-mediated endocytosis of proteolysis-targeting chimeras.” It was led by Hong-yu Li, PhD, professor of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology with the Department of Pharmacology and the Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT Health San Antonio, in collaboration with partners at Duke University and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Li states this research could impact the field of drug development over the next couple of decades.
“In the next 10 to 20 years, this may become a foundational approach in drug discovery and a new research field within medicinal chemistry,” Li said. “We feel incredibly lucky to have made this discovery and opened the door to hope for previously untreatable diseases.”
