Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 24, 2008 8:30:49 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

New Drug Protects Body From Radiation

Posted Apr 11, 08 2:15 PM CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – A promising new drug that protects animals from damaging radiation is ready for clinical trials in humans, the BBC reports. The drug interferes with the protein that ordinarily causes cell suicide in the presence of radiation, meaning it could be useful in treating cancer patients undergoing radiation as well as victims of a dirty bomb or nuclear attack.

The report is a "breakthrough," one of the scientists tells the Telegraph, because it "provides a long-awaited example of single-agent anti-radiation therapy with significant survival benefits at a single dose." In one experiment, mice that received one injection of the drug before exposure to radiation were still alive 6 months later, compared to the control group, which died within 10 days.

Sources BBC, Daily Telegraph (UK)

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Hospitals Seduced by 'Nuclear Arms Race' vs. Cancer

    Dec 26, 07 2:29 PM CST
    Hospitals Seduced by 'Nuclear Arms Race' vs. Cancer More and more hospitals are using nuclear proton accelerators in the fight against cancer, with mixed results, reports the New York Times. Some experts say the massive devices, formerly only found in physics labs, are a vital next-generation tool. Others doubt their effectiveness and worry that hospitals are getting caught up in a kind of anti-cancer "arms race," with price tags running up to $100 million a pop for the 222-ton accelerators. More »

  • New Drug Battles Liver Cancer

    Jun 4, 07 7:37 AM CDT
    New Drug Battles Liver Cancer An impressive clinical trial has produced what could be the first effective drug treatment for liver cancer, the New York Times reports. Nexavar, which blocks both the blood supply to the tumor and proteins that spur tumor growth, extended the lives of patients in the trial by almost three months, or 44%
    More »

  • Research Gives Alzheimer's Patients Hope

    Apr 30, 07 9:33 AM CDT
    Research Gives Alzheimer's Patients Hope Alzheimer's patients may be able to recover some memory by using a combo of drugs and mental stimulation, a new study in the journal Nature concludes. Mice with an Alzheimer's-like condition were more likely to remember an electric shock if they had taken a drug stimulating brain-cell growth or lived in playground-like cages. More »

  • Conjoined Twins Are Freed

    Apr 6, 07 9:59 AM CDT
    A pair of conjoined twins attached at the liver and the heart are alive and separate after a surgery Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital calls a "world first." The 10-month-old girls' hearts were joined at the atrium, and the blood flow was connected,  but the organs were not dependent on each other. More »

  • Bacteria Battle Depression

    Apr 6, 07 8:55 AM CDT
    Bacteria Battle Depression Clinical depression may be treatable with bacteria, doctors at Bristol University posit. They got the idea when they observed lung cancer patients inoculated with harmless Mycobacterium vaccae who showed reduced symptoms and improved mental health. The brain produces serotonin as an immune response, the docs hypothesized, raising the low serotonin levels associated with depression and resulting in a sunnier outlook. More »

Charts show cancer treatment spending, average Medicare payments for common cancers and percentage breakdown of most common cancers. A new drug could make radiation a much safer treatment.   (AP Photo)
A newly developed drug could protect healthy cells during radiation treatment for cancer, while leaving tumor cells to be destroyed.   (Flickr)
The new drug could protect people from the effects of a dirty bomb attack or a nuclear disaster, scientists say.   (Flickr)
US scientists have developed a drug that selectively protects healthy cells from radiation. The next step is clinical trials in humans.   (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

cancer  • science  • medicine  • medical breakthrough  • cancer treatment  • radiation  • dirty bomb


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »