Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

A new formulation of an older generation antibiotic is showing promising results in lab animals as an effective treatment in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer and could minimize the need for uncomfortable colonoscopies and surgical polyp removal.

Dr. Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler School of Medicine has reformulated an antibiotic that has reduced the sizes of polyps in about 80 percent of mice. On average, the mice that were given the drug lived about 30 percent longer than mice that were not treated with the antibiotic. Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld hopes these findings will lead to a preventative therapy in the suppression of polyp growth, and in stronger doses, in combination with chemotherapy and radiation, to fight existing cancers.

“Our new drug may be able to slow down polyp growth so that it never manifests to full-blown colon cancer,” says Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld.

Using out-of-circulation and old generation antibiotics, such as that used in Dr. Rosin-Arbesfeld’s research, means that treatment with the antibiotics will not interfere with antibiotics currently used to treat bacterial infections. And it should also speed up the approval process for clinical trials, as it has previously been on the market. TAU’s commercial transfer company, Ramot, has filed for a patent for the new use and discussion is already underway with potential partners about experimental human trials of the drug.

Source: Science Blog

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