BARC team develops cancer drugs with herbs, spices
A green revolution is underway at one
of the world's longest laboratories located deep inside BARC's Anushakti Nagar
complex near Chembur. Scientists at the 700-metre modular laboratory in BARC
are using Indian
herbs and spices to develop anti-cancer and other drugs
that will be affordable and have fewer side-effects.
Rampatri-better
known as `false nutmeg' and widely used in Goan and
Mangalorean cuisine--is a case in point. Scientists from BARC's bio-science
group have developed a chemotherapeutic drug that has, in studies on mice,
shown potency against
lung cancer and neuroblastoma (a rare pediatric cancer in which cancer cells
grow in the nerve cells of the adrenal glands, neck, chest, and spinal cord).
“This is a significant development as
neuroblastoma treatment is aggressive and the disease is known to recur,” said
Dr S Chattopadhyay, who heads the bio-science group. The herbal drug developed
reduces the tumor burden while increasing the efficacy of the usual
chemotherapy drugs (such as cisplatin, camptothecin and etoposide) taken
alongside. The use of such agents will, in the long run, reduce the cost of
medication and their side-effects. Two other drugs in various stages of
commercial release are a radiomodifier and radioprotector. “We have developed
radiomodifiers that will enhance the effect of radiotherapy while protecting
tissues, lymphocytes, lungs and the gastrointestinal system from radiation injury,”
Dr Chattopadhyay said.
The radiomodifier, an oral drug, will
be taken up for clinical trial at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel. “This
herbal radiomodifier is awaiting a patent,” he added.
The radioprotector, which is also
awaiting a patent, can be used both before and after radiation exposure to
reduce injuries and death and will benefit industry workers and the public in
case of an “accidental exposure like the Fukushima nuclear explosion in Japan
or a dirty bomb“.
Herbal drugs have fewer or no
side-effects and are less expensive. “Moreover, the phytochemicals we develop
as adjuvant drugs enhance the efficacy of other drugs and boosts the immune
system to minimize the drug dosage,” Dr Chattopadhyay said.
Radiation exposure mainly affects bone
marrow, gastrointestinal and reproductive organs. A single dose of the new BARC
radioprotector protects mice from all these damages and also increases their
lifespan.
“The pre-clinical results observed with
the new radioprotector are better than any radioprotector discovered so far,”
he said. The knowhow of the above medicines has been transferred to private
entrepreneurs for a quicker commercial release.
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