Compound found to fight cancer

Tuesday, January 12, 1999

Compound found to fight cancer

RESEARCH: UCLA team discovers boron-10 can selectively destroy
cells

By Sarah Krupp

Daily Bruin Contributor

While new surgical techniques, chemotherapy and radiation have
improved the quality and length of life for cancer victims, the
magical cure anticipated by so many has remained just that –
magical.

A research team led by UCLA chemist Frederick Hawthorne,
however, may bring fantasy one step closer to reality. After years
of research, UCLA scientists have discovered a compound, boron-10,
which selectively and efficiently destroys cancer cells.

"Hawthorne’s discovery could lead to a radical form of cancer
treatment that selectively kills cancer rather than good cells,"
said William Pardridge, a professor of medicine at UCLA.

In the 1960s, researchers began to examine the use of boron to
eliminate cancer cells. Since then, boron has proven an effective
adversary against cancer in clinical trials, said Hawthorne.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a practical treatment
because unlike traditional methods, such as chemotherapy and
radiation, it does not endanger healthy cells.

"Boron is like a land mine, in place to destroy, but inert,"
said Hawthorne.

When a neutron beam reacts with boron, nuclear fission occurs,
splitting boron into highly charged destructive ions.

"If we can get boron into particular cells and if these cells
encounter neutrons, they are dead," said Hawthorne.

In BNCT, boron is placed inside liposomes, which are spherical
particles with hollow centers that are able to identify cancer
cells. Thus, boron enters only diseased cells.

The specific family of compounds discovered by Hawthorne travel
directly to the cell’s nucleus. While that might not sound like a
dramatic breakthrough, it will significantly increase the
effectiveness of BNCT, according to Hawthorne.

Unfortunately, while the presence of boron does not harm nearby
cells, it is an ineffective treatment because it does not kill all
the cancer.

The newly discovered compound eliminates this danger by
exploding the nucleus of the cell, thereby destroying the cell’s
DNA.

Though Hawthorne cannot promise a magical cure for all cancers,
he and other experts predict a higher quality of life for cancer
patients because of BNCT and new discoveries.

"The advancements made in BNCT are enormously exciting,
especially in treatment of inoperable tumors. The incurable may
become curable," said Joan Valentine, a professor of chemistry at
UCLA and a colleague of Hawthorne’s.

Whether working with other treatments or alone, Hawthorne is
"quite confident" that the newly modified BNCT will be effective in
treating lung cancer, a disease that afflicts 190,000 new victims
in America every year and is often fatal.

According to Hawthorne, it is possible the new compound will
also be used to treat prostate cancer and combat brain tumors.

Despite Hawthorne’s cautious speculations for the immediate
success of BNCT, he envisions a future in which cancer patients are
able to walk into a clinic, receive an injection of a boron
compound, sit under a laser beam for a few minutes and walk
out.

"Given time, a library of tailor-made boron compounds and
neutron laser beams – specialized for each type of tumor – can be
attained," said Hawthorne.

Boron-10 was recently approved by the Food and Drug
Administration and is to begin clinical trials in lung cancer
studies.MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Working with a dedicated staff, Frederick Hawthorne (shown here
holding a periodic table) has found that boron-10 may be useful in
the fight against cancer.

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