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A New Anti-Ras Drug

No, It's Got Nothing Against Rastafarians

, PhD

Aug 21, 2009

It's called an anti-Ras drug, but it's got no problem with reggae. It's a

multi-talented new pill against pancreatic cancer that just might also come

to

the rescue of pancreatic beta cells. Its pancreatic cancer-fighting

attributes are currently being tested in a human clinical trial, but a

modified version

has been shown to maintain normal

insulin

production in diabetic mice.

The pill works by fighting a protein called the Ras protein, which is made

by the Ras gene. The Ras gene, like all genes in our DNA, is basically a

cellular

recipe

for a protein. When a mutation damages the Ras gene, it causes a misprint

in the recipe for the Ras protein. The Ras protein ends up with the wrong

ingredients

or made in the wrong quantity, and that's a recipe for disaster. Because the

Ras protein helps regulate cell growth and survival, changing its recipe can

lead to the unregulated cell growth and division that we call cancer. In

fact, the Ras protein is found in about a third of all cancerous tumors.

Another unfortunate consequence of too much Ras is a negative effect on the

autoimmune system. So Professor Yoel Kloog and her students at Tel Aviv

University,

who developed the anti-Ras drug, wondered if a modified version could

eventually be used to slow the progression of diabetes. It seems that they

were right.

When the anti-Ras drug blocks the Ras protein from overdoing its job or

doing it in the wrong way, it helps restore the immune system to normal.

Because

type 1

diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, this is good news for beta cells, which

might now survive to make their all-important insulin.

Although more research is needed, the prospect of a simple pill that could

effectively treat type 1 diabetes is very exciting. In light of the fact

that

the anti-Ras drug is in clinical trials right now for pancreatic cancer and

has already been shown to be safe, it just might be fast-tracked by the FDA

for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Wouldn't it be nice if a pill finally

worked?

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810162013.htm

American Friends Tel Aviv University

http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle & id=10171

European Journal of Pharmacology

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