Current Cancer Drug Targets - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2011

This is the special issue of Current Cancer Drug Targets with emphasis on “Novel Agents for Cancer Chemo-Therapy”. The papers were submitted from all over the world including USA, Europe and Asia. This is one of the current areas of research in cancer treatment, which started during the last decade and, hence, only a few Scientists are working in it. Eight articles were accepted for publication because the contents of thes Read More

For the last one decade, scientists are working at developing nano anti-cancer drugs with the claim of ideal ones due to their targeted chemotherapic nature. These drugs have many beneficial properties such as targeted drug delivery and gene therapy modalities with minimum side effects. This article describes pros and cons and future perspectives of nano anti-cancer drugs. Efforts have been made to address Read More

In spite of some medications, millions of people are dying every year due to cancer. Additionally, the survival patients suffer from various serious side effects due to the use of available anti-neoplastic medicines. The development of nanoparticle based drugs seems to be effective providing low side effects and targeted action on cancer cells. The present article describes the state-of-the-art of nano drugs in cancer chemotherap Read More

Conventional liposomal drug delivery has been associated with obvious limitations, such as a rapid absorption by the recticulo-endothelial system in the liver and spleen, a short circulation time and a low therapeutic efficacy. Various modifications of liposomal drugs have been developed to prolong the duration of actions of the drugs at target sites, reduce its adverse effects and increase therapeutic index of drugs such as p Read More

The application of nanotechnology to biomedical research is expected to have a major impact leading to the development of new types of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. One focus in nanobiotechnology is to develop safe and efficient drug/gene delivery vehicles. Research into the rational delivery and targeting of pharmaceutical, therapeutic and diagnostic agents is at the forefront of projects in nanomedicine. Silic Read More

This review presents some common features of nanoparticles - activity, toxicity and biological activity. Humans are exposed to tiny particles via dust storms, volcanic ash, and other natural processes and the body systems are well adapted to protect from these potentially harmful intruders. Technological advancement has also changed the character of particulate pollution, increasing the proportion of nanometer-sized particl Read More

Magnetic nanoparticles have been intensively investigated due to their magnetic characteristics, quantum dot effects, as well as their potential applications in the area of bioscience and medicine. Very promising nanoparticles are magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with appropriate surface modification which have been widely used experimentally for masses of in vivo applications such as magnetic resonance imaging contra Read More

Despite recent successes, metastatic colorectal cancer remains a difficult cancer to treat. Since the initial discovery that PI-3-Kinase/AKT signaling played an important part in the growth and survival of colorectal tumors, preclinical studies have suggested that inhibitors of this pathway may have a role to play as potential therapeutics. With the surge of inhibitors of PI-3-Kinase from both academia and pharmaceutical compa Read More

Epigenetic processes play a key regulatory role in cancer. Hypermethylation in the CpG islands of the promoter regions of many tumour suppressor genes leads to the recruitment of co-repressors, altered chromatin structure, and ultimately transcriptional silencing. Key components in the regulation of DNA methylation are DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, 2, 3A and 3B) and methyl CpG-binding proteins, which recognize m Read More

Previously, we demonstrated that survivin expression is CBP/β-catenin/TCF-dependent. Now, using NCI-H28 cells, which harbor a homozygous deletion of β-catenin, we demonstrate that survivin transcription can similarly be mediated by nuclear γ-catenin. ICG-001, a specific inhibitor of binding to the N-terminus of CBP, effectively attenuates survivin expression. We demonstrate that γ-catenin by binding to TCF family me Read More

The way cancer cells escape cisplatin-induced apoptosis has not been completely elucidated yet. We questioned the relevance of “metabolic reprogramming” in cisplatin-resistance by studying mitochondrial function and metabolism in human ovarian carcinoma cell lines, cisplatin-sensitive (2008) and -resistant (C13). C13 cells, in comparison to 2008 cells, showed lower apoptotic response to cisplatin exposure, low Read More