FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 3, 2005

Novel Compound Enhances Colon Cancer Treatment

BUFFALO, NY - A team of researchers from Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) have identified a novel compound that shows promise in enhancing anti-colon cancer therapies. Bruce Dolnick, PhD, and colleagues from the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, have identified an rTS-beta protein that appears to influence the development of another key protein that enhances the growth of colon cancer. The team published their most recent work in the July issue of Cancer Research.

Colon cancer is expected to affect 104,950 Americans this year with an expected 56,260 patients succumbing to the disease. The standard treatment for colon cancer is the use of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with other chemotherapeutic agents. However, many aggressive colon cancers will develop resistance to 5-FU and progress. The Dolnick lab is working to interfere with a protein, called thymidylate synthase (TS), which is known to be active in tumors that develop resistance to chemotherapy.

"We know that an increase in TS is a sign of a colon cancer with a poor prognosis. Our team is searching for a way to interfere with the amount of TS in the tumor," says Dr. Dolnick. "This most recent result shows how a mimic of the signals produced by the rTS-beta protein, called 3-oxododecanoyl homoserine lactone, can down-regulate or decrease the amount of TS in cells."

In a follow-up test, the team used 3-oxo-c12-(L)-HSL with several chemotherapeutic agents. They found that the compound enhanced the activity of 5-FU, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, tomudex and taxol but not the activity of 5-fluorouridine, methotrexate or Adriamycin. The compound increased the effectiveness of 5-FU 12-fold.
 
"We need to do more research to understand the mechanisms of why this compound supports certain chemotherapeutic agents," continued Dr. Dolnick. "However, it is a very positive outcome to identify an agent that can enhance current treatment for colon cancer."
 
The Roswell Park research team included Ree Dolnick, Qi Wu, PhD,  Norman Angelino, Lawrence Stephanie and Janice Sufrin, PhD. The work also included Kuan-Chih Chow, PhD from the National Chung-Hsing University in Taiwan.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center, and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. For more information, visit the RPCI website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Another paper discussing the rTS-beta protein as a possible target for drug development was published in the May 2005 issue of Clinical Colorectal Cancer.

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