Peptide Linked with Paclitaxel Destroys Tumors

A tumor-specific peptide linked with the established anticancer agent paclitaxel is the basis for a new highly specific anticancer therapeutic.

The selective tumor-specific conjugate appears to target a wide variety of cancers expressing the specific peptide receptor. The therapy targets the bombesin receptor, common to a wide variety of tumor types. In vitro experiments have determined that a specific paclitaxel-bombesin peptide ligand (NBT-300) conjugate is able to deliver cytotoxic concentrations of taxanes via the bombesin receptor into several specific cancer cell lines, including breast, small cell lung, nonsmall lung, head and neck squamous cell, pancreatic, prostate, and neuroblastoma, said scientists from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, USA; www.ua.edu) and NaPro BioTherapeutics (Boulder, CO, USA), who developed the therapeutic.

"The preliminary data are strongly supportive of a peptide receptor-mediated approach for the treatment of bombesin receptor expressing cancers,” said Lawrence Helson, M.D., vice president, bioresearch, at NaPro. "Potential advantages may include a lower side effect profile for our conjugate compound and a higher level of tumor ‘kill' than an equivalent nonconjugated cytotoxic.”




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