Molecule detects, treats prostate cancer

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., July 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have developed a prostate cancer "homing device" that could improve detection and allow the first targeted treatment of the disease.

Purdue University researchers said they synthesized a molecule that finds and penetrates prostate cancer cells, and have created imaging agents and therapeutic drugs that can link to the molecule and be carried with it as cargo.

Professor Philip Low, who led the research, said a targeted treatment could be much more effective in treating cancer and would greatly reduce the harmful side effects associated with current treatments.

"Currently, none of the drugs available to treat prostate cancer are targeted, which means they go everywhere in the body as opposed to only the tumor, and so are quite toxic for the patient," Low said. "By being able to target only the cancer cells, we could eliminate toxic side effects of treatments. In addition, the ability to target only the cancer cells can greatly improve imaging of the cancer to diagnose the disease, determine if it has spread or is responding to treatment."

There also is potential for the targeting molecule to be used to attack the vasculature of solid tumors of other types of cancers, Low said.

Two papers detailing the research appeared in the June 1 issue of the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.