{"id":16810,"date":"2014-02-11T16:22:14","date_gmt":"2014-02-11T21:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sciencebusiness.technewslit.com\/?p=16810"},"modified":"2014-02-11T16:26:57","modified_gmt":"2014-02-11T21:26:57","slug":"cancer-drugs-shown-with-potential-against-hiv-related-fungus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/technewslit.com\/sciencebusiness\/?p=16810","title":{"rendered":"Cancer Drugs Shown With Potential Against HIV-Related Fungus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photomicrograph<\/a>
Photomicrograph of Cryptococcus (CDC.gov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

11 February 2014. Medical researchers at University of Rochester<\/a> in New York found two drugs treating breast cancer have properties that point to their potential as a treatment for Cryptococcus<\/em>, a fungus causing meningitis in people with HIV\/AIDS. The team led by Rochester’s Damian Krysan<\/a>, with colleagues from Temple and Duke universities and University of California in San Francisco, published its findings today in the journal mBio<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>, cryptococcal meningitis cases occur among people with HIV\/AIDS, at a rate of about 1 million cases per year worldwide, causing some 625,000 deaths. The disease is caused by the Cryptococcus<\/em> fungus that spreads from the lungs to the brain.<\/p>\n

HIV patients with compromised immune systems are among the most susceptible to cryptococcal meningitis. While the use of anti-fungal drugs helped reduce the number of cases in developed countries, cryptococcal meningitis continues to be a major problem where resources and access to health care are limited.<\/p>\n

Krysan and colleagues screened a library of off-patent drugs for potential agents for molecules with the power to kill Cryptococcus<\/em> organisms, and identified tamoxifen<\/a>, a breast cancer drug marketed as Nolvadex<\/a> by AstraZeneca and Soltamox<\/a> by Dara BioSciences. Tamoxifen was already known from earlier studies to have anti-fungal properties.<\/p>\n

The researchers further noted tamoxifen and a similar breast cancer drug, toremifene<\/a>, are taken as oral drugs, and cross the blood-brain barrier, which add to their value as potential treatments for cryptococcal meningitis. Toremifene is marketed as Fareston<\/a> by ProStrakan.<\/p>\n

The Rochester team tested tamoxifen and toremifene in combination with standard anti-fungal drugs in the lab — both in cultures and with mice — and found the combinations boost the power of the anti-fungal drugs. Tamoxifen and toremifene, the researchers discovered, help inhibit the growth of the cryptococcal fungus within immune system cells, a property that the anti-fungal drugs do not have on their own. In addition, the cancer drugs were found to bind to and inhibit the calmodulin protein<\/a> that facilitates the growth of the fungus.<\/p>\n

The results suggest, say the authors, that tamoxifen and toremifene can serve as frameworks for the development of anti-cryptococcal drugs. Being able to repurpose existing drugs can short-cut the drug development process, at considerable time and cost savings, even if further development is needed to take the therapies to market.<\/p>\n

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