( ites change shapes thanks to ongoing ge...)Gut research yields new anti-cancer approach

With standard anti-microtubule not an option for colorectal cancer, current chemotherapy regimens feature 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in combination with other chemotherapy drugs (oxaliplatin, irinotecan) and antibodies (bevacizumab, cetuximab). Once again, response rates of current drugs are low (less than 30 percent as single agents). Tumors generally begin growing again with a year.

Moving forward, the research team will seek to determine exactly which proteins are involved in the anti-cancer effect of PPARgamma inhibitors. Combination therapy is the current leading strategy in treating cancer, and finding the mechanisms by which PPARgamma inhibitors work could be a first step toward their safe combination with other treatments.

"The last work attempting to reduce tubulin levels was abandoned approximately 25 years ago under the assumption that such drugs would be toxic, destroying microtubules in healthy cells as well as cancer cells," Schaefer said. "Our early studies, however, suggest that general toxicity does not rule out this approach as once feared. With new drug delivery technologies that help drugs target only cancer cells, we are very excited about the potential of this line of work."