METABOLIC TREATMENTS IN CANCER
We are honored and appreciative of being one of the projects that
MCS Formulas B.V. has selected for its “We donate 50%” program.
The drug we have been developing as a cancer agent for the past 20 years, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, better known as 2-DG, is different than most cancer treatments in that it preferentially accumulates in cancer vs normal cells. This natural property of 2-DG provides an excellent advantage to specifically attack cancer cells while sparing normal cells. This is a fact supported by hundreds of scientific publications, including our own work along this line (1). From the beginning of our studies on 2-DG we realized that in spite of it’s potential to add value to the life of cancer patients, we would be fighting an uphill battle in developing 2-DG to be used by cancer patients. The reason for this is that 2-DG is not patentable and therefore pharmaceutical companies have little or no incentive to support research required to advance it to the clinic.
Nevertheless, we believed that by exploiting increased glucose metabolism (a trait that is woven into the very fabric of most if not all cancer cells) is a key target for fighting cancer, and 2-DG would be one of the most suitable drugs to use given its low-cost, selectivity and availability. This is why we continued pursuing our studies with 2-DG.
In this regard we were rewarded for our perseverance by actually completing an FDA approved Phase I clinical trial (2). In this trial patients received 2-DG as a once per day drink. Unfortunately, the high dose oral administration of 2-DG induced and insulin response. This in turn, would drive 2-DG (as it does glucose) out of the blood and into fat and muscle, thereby redirecting it away from the tumor and into normal tissue, and therefore limiting the delivery of 2DG to the tumor.
Having learned this from our clinical trial we went back to the lab and tested our idea of inserting pumps into animals with cancer releasing 2-DG slowly and continuously at a dose that would be far below that which would induce an insulin response. This is what we call metronomic-2-DG. We found this to be successful and upon publishing these results the United States Congress sent us a certificate of recognition for our breakthrough achievement that we reported (3).
Recently, in a collaboration between the Lampidis Foundation, USA (link) and the MCS Foundation for Life, the Netherlands (link) we have combined our efforts into extending our findings of metronomic-2-DG to patients across the world, left without treatment options. Out of our desire to bring value to the life of cancer patients, we did this without financial support.
Hence, metronomic delivery of 2-DG, which is currently in use by stage cancer patients in several countries world-wide, was initiated during 2018. Our effort consisted in building an academic team to consolidate the metronomic-2-DG application knowledge and support clinicians with knowledge during the implementation process. The implementation, took place on a compassionate basis in stage-4 patients, and since 2018 we have often received anecdotal positive reports, where metronomic-2-DG has been used in combination with or without conventional therapies.
In order to bring metronomic-2-DG forward and make it available to the patients around the world we now must move beyond anecdotal data. As a result, we need to organize well-designed clinical trials and at the same time research and develop ways to maximize the effectiveness of metronomic-2DG treatment.
By voting to support the development of metronomic-2-DG via the “We donate 50%” program at MCS Formulas, you will help us reach our two major goals:
– Maximize the effectiveness of metronomic-2-DG: We will perform research to identify drugs and/or supplements that 2-DG can be combined with, to yield the most effective treatments.
– Accelerate the process to get metronomic-2-DG to the clinical space and make it available to patients across the world: We will perform FDA-approved clinical trials, to define the safety and efficacy of metronomic delivery of 2-DG in a wider range of population and cancer types.
Thank you in advance for reading this and for your possible support,
Theodore J. Lampidis, PhD Professor
Department of Cell Biology
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine & Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rosenstiel Medical Sciences BLDG, Room 4095
1600 NW 10th Ave, Miami FL 33136. USA
Office Tel (305) 243-4846;
Cell (305) 978-3372
email [email protected]
References:
1) The wonders of 2-deoxy-D-glucose. Xi H, Kurtoglu M, Lampidis TJ.
IUBMB Life. 2014 Feb;66(2):110-21. doi: 10.1002/iub.1251. Epub 2014 Feb 27
2) A phase I dose-escalation trial of 2-deoxy-D-glucose alone or combined with docetaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors. Raez LE, Papadopoulos K, Ricart AD, Chiorean EG, Dipaola RS, Stein MN, Rocha Lima CM, Schlesselman JJ, Tolba K, Langmuir VK, Kroll S, Jung DT, Kurtoglu M, Rosenblatt J, Lampidis TJ. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2013 Feb;71(2):523-30. doi: 10.1007/s00280-012-2045-1. Epub 2012 Dec 11
3) Combining 2-deoxy-D-glucose with fenofibrate leads to tumor cell death mediated by simultaneous induction of energy and ER stress. Liu H, Kurtoglu M, León-Annicchiarico CL, Munoz-Pinedo C, Barredo J, Leclerc G, Merchan J, Liu X, Lampidis TJ. Oncotarget. 2016 Jun 14;7(24):36461-36473. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.9263. PMID: 27183907