Potentially Exciting Brain Mets Drug on Horizon

[Catherine Poole]

Hope this proves hopeful! http://finance.yahoo.com/news/novogen-shares-skyrocket-120-following-143633694.html

[rochelle]

Catherine,

Am I reading that correctly? Would this be a treatment for melanoma in general and treatment for brain mets as well?

Thanks,

Martha

[Bateman]

If love to hear Melanoma Oncologists opinion/take on this drug. Is this possible to organise?

Thanks,

Penny

[Bateman]

If love to hear Melanoma Oncologists opinion/take on this drug. Is this possible to organise?

Thanks,

Penny

[Catherine Poole]

Yes, you are correct to be skeptical since this is pre-clinical data. Our scientific folks will also be skeptical until there is clinical trial data. But at the same time, always good to know therapies are being worked on. I do disagree in this press release about a connection between brain cancer and melanoma, they are two distinctly different cancers as far as I know..

[lak1]

I find it exciting. But obviously far too far off for any of us.

This is a very complex issue as the link between brain cells and tumours and melanoma lie in their common embyrlogical orgins. Embryology was always a difficult subject for me and my understanding of it is very basic to say the least. The link also involves genetics and epigenetic factors- also complex and my knowledge is basic. Epigenetics involves factors that dont specifically alter the genes but the shapes of the dna molecules that then alters the way that gene may be expressed.

Neural crest tissue in the Embryo is the source of nerves and brain. It is also the source of melanocytes – cells containing the pigment melonin. Neural crest tissues are able to migrate throughout the embryo and invade into organs- which is switched off after the embryo is formed .However melanoma cells seem to be able to restart this.

Compared to other carcimomas melanoma has different transcriptional factors sometimes they are antagonistic sometimes they are inducing transcription factors.

I really cannot understand fully the genetics etc but it is the fact that melanoma cells are derived from the neural crest cells that give them their – plasticity- and ability to migrate and invade all organs. It also explains the dormancy and hetrogenicity- each clone of wave of metastases generating from a different stem line.

Very complex but very interesting. I dont think I have explained it well as I only really understand the surface of these topics . However I hope it gives insight into why it might be very interesting.

[Author]

Posts