Straits Times reported on 20 Apr that NUS researchers have developed a better cancer drug delivery method, with fewer side effects. Professor Feng Si-Shen said that by dressing anti-cancer drug Pacitaxel in ultrafine nanoparticles, which are derived from vitamin E, the problems commonly associated with chemotherapy can be significantly reduced.
Pacitaxel is usually dissolved into an agent called Cremphor EL, which often triggers severe reactions in patients, including weakened immune systems and complete hair loss. Although Prof Feng and his team have yet to conduct clinical trials, laboratory tests on rats injected with colon cancer cells have yielded impressive results. Currently, the only nanoparticle cancer treatment available is Abraxine, which is confined largely to the US market. It costs more than $6,000 for a single dose - more than three times that of the current Pacitaxel formulation.
Pacitaxel is usually dissolved into an agent called Cremphor EL, which often triggers severe reactions in patients, including weakened immune systems and complete hair loss. Although Prof Feng and his team have yet to conduct clinical trials, laboratory tests on rats injected with colon cancer cells have yielded impressive results. Currently, the only nanoparticle cancer treatment available is Abraxine, which is confined largely to the US market. It costs more than $6,000 for a single dose - more than three times that of the current Pacitaxel formulation.
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