Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Treatments for Lou Gehrig's Disease Via Anti-Cancer Drug from the 1960s | |
|
| |
Scientists have revealed that new treatments for the incurable nerve disease known as Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) could be developed via a long-used anti-cancer drug.
Their research showing how the drug prevents clumping of an enzyme linked to ALS appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Lucia Banci, Ivano Bertini and colleagues explain that ALS causes a progressive loss of muscle control as the nerves that control body movements wither and die. Patients become weak and have difficulty swallowing and breathing, and most die within three to five years of diagnosis. Although some ALS cases are hereditary and run in families, about 90 percent are "sporadic," with the cause unknown. Some research links sporadic ALS to clumping of an antioxidant enzyme called hSOD1. The authors explored whether cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug used since the 1960s that is known to interact with some of the enzyme's amino acids, has any effect on hSOD1 clusters.
The scientists found that in laboratory tests, the anti-cancer drug cisplatin bound readily to the enzyme, preventing hSOD1 from aggregating and dissolving existing bunches. Cisplatin targets sites that can form bonds between hSOD1 after the enzyme loses the atom of copper it normally carries. The scientists note that cisplatin does not prevent the enzyme from performing its normal functions. "From this work it appears that cisplatin is a promising lead compound for the rational design of ALS treatments," the authors say.
Source-Eurekalert
| |
|
|
 Comment & Contribute
|
Related Links
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)-Lou Gehrig's disease-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment
Find out more about the degenerative disease- Amyotrophic lateral ...
Multiple sclerosis - Symptoms - Causes - Diagnosis - Treatment
Multiple sclerosis can be a severely disabling autoimmune disease that affects the myelin or insulating layer of the nerve fibers and typically has ...
Multiple Sclerosis - Treatment to Reduce Symptoms and Modify course of Disease
Multiple sclerosis is treated with drugs that modify the course of the disease, suppress immunity and relieve ...
Drug Related News
EU Agency Says Acne Pill Benefits Outweigh Blood Clot Risk
The benefits of acne drug Diane-35, also widely used as a contraceptive, outweigh the risk of developing blood clots in the veins, said Europe's ...
Statins Cut Exercise Benefits
Simvastatin a type of statin was found to hinder the positive effects of exercise for obese and overweight adults. Statins, the ...
New Drug Enhances Radiation Treatment for Brain Cancer
A novel drug may significantly help increase the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the most deadly form of brain cancer, say scientists at ...
Experts Issue Warning Against Online Sexual Enhancement Pills
Health experts have warned people against purchasing sexual enhancement pills from stores or from the internet as they often are a dangerous ...
Powerful Painkiller Discovered in Canadian Black Market
A Can$3 million (US$3 million) drug stash was found by Montreal police that included their first ever black market discovery of a synthetic drug that ...
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Cancer Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz. 
|
- News Quick Links
 | News Central | | Health Watch | |
| Latest Health News | | Health In Focus | |
| News Category (500+) | | Breaking Health News | |
| Popular News | | Celebrating Life | |
| Health News and Press Release | | Medindia - Exclusive | |
| News Photo Gallery | | India Special | |
| News Video Gallery | | Lifestyle and Wellness | |
| News From Other Resources | |||
 |
Cancer
Complete Medindia Resources
|
| News Categories: |
| » | EU Agency Says Acne Pill Benefits Outweigh Blood Clot Risk |
| » | Reduce Ambien's Dose to Avoid Drowsy Driving |
| » | Statins Cut Exercise Benefits |
| » | New Drug Enhances Radiation Treatment for Brain Cancer |
| » | Experts Issue Warning Against Online Sexual Enhancement Pills |
| More Drug News | |
|
Ask an Expert
