Pharmaceutical
researchers have achieved only 5% success in the clinical trials for
anti-cancer drugs. In order to increase this success percentage, a
Japanese research team headed by Dr. Tetsuya Terasaki has identified a
new method to help overcome the complications of producing effective
drugs against diseases such as cancer.
This
new method is based on improvements in protein quantification and
identification. For this, the researchers made use of advanced Eksigent
chip-based nanoLC technology and AB SCIEX mass spectrometry technology.
By identifying the type and correct quantity of protein present in a
patient’s body, scientists can introduce new treatments and diagnostics
that help in determining the effectiveness of different types of drugs
in different patients.
Terasaki
with his research team at Tohoku University, Japan, have identified and
quantified several ranges of key functional proteins that act as drug
transporters such as UGT proteins and cytochrome P450 using complicated
matrices along with enzymes that either deactivate or activate drugs
induced into the body. The researchers believe that the quicker they
find this important information regarding drug transporters, the process
of enhancing protein biomarkers utilized in diagnostics, in the future
will be more rapid. To progress their work further, these scientists
selected the Eksigent cHiPLC-nanoflex system and the AB SCIEX
TripleTOF5600 system.
Terasaki’s
research on the blood-brain obstacle, a key biological junction that
limits the entry of dreadful microscopic organisms like bacteria into
the brain, has enabled researchers to replace standard molecular methods
with advanced mass spectrometry in order to analyze the protein
transporter and resolve problems resulting in better disease therapy.
