About This Project

We have a new anti-cancer peptide, PNC-27. We identified its cellular target and found that ketone bodies (KBs) enhance the inhibitory effect of PNC-27. Our data support the use of this system as a diagnostic method for cancer and we have preliminary evidence for its use in cervical cancer. The project will refine the system and anticipate its use in clinical diagnosis in order to overcome limitations of current methods.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Cancer remains a major challenge in biomedicine. A new anti-cancer agent is of obvious value for therapy, Identifying target of such an agent may be equally important for diagnosis. In cervical cancer, for example, current methods have serious limitations and can give incorrect information. This project is close to establishing a new method for detecting cervical cancer. More long range goals pursue the role of dietary carbohydrae restriction. Potential cancer therapy resides in reducing glucose (for fermentation) and providing ketone bodies which bypass glycolysis and are alternative substrates for normal cells but not cancers. In this context, dietary carbohydrate restriction and ketogenic strategies have become major candidates for therapy.

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What is the significance of this project?

There are numerous anti-cancer drugs and medical procedures. These very often carry serious side effects and high toxicity for normal tissues. The goals of the project are 1) to use ketone bodies (KB) to enhance the effect of drugs, thereby reducing doses and avoiding side effects. KBs are not only safe but are, in fact, fuels for normal cells, sometimes the best fuel. 2) To further investigate the broad specificity of the anti-cancer peptide, PNC-27, that attacks many cancers but is without effect on normal tissues. The combination of peptide PNC-27 in a ketogenic environment is very promising approach. Finally, the use of 3-D spheroids and microfluidic methods will bring us closer to direct applications to humans

What are the goals of the project?

Our project has the short range goal of development of a diagnostic method for the detection of cervical cancer. The basic method is mostly established and we are currently fine tuning it.

Long range goals rest with answering three questions: 1) What is the extent of the unusual ability of PNC-27 to kill many different cancers? 2) Can we exploit the ability of ketone bodies (KBs) to enhance the effect of PNC-27 and finally, 3) Can we establish of a spheroid (3-D cell culture) system using tumor samples from patients or from previously excised samples. The method is better even than animal models for relevance to a humans. This us will give us a handle to go after questions 1 and 2.