The FDA Approves “Glowing Tumor” Drugs to Help Surgeons Identify Ovarian Cancer Cells

Cytalux (pafolacianince) is a drug that binds to ovarian cancer tissue and glows when exposed to fluorescent light to help surgeons detect ovarian tumors during a patient’s surgery by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ) Approved by.

A spokesperson for Purdue University told Fox News that Purdue University’s head of pharmacy, Philippe Law, invented the drug.Low Described in the press release When the surgeon turns on near-infrared rays during surgery, “these lesions glow like stars against the night sky.”

“Many surgeries result in complete resection of all cancerous tissue, but unfortunately a significant portion is left behind by filling or concealing the tumor tissue, often resulting in cancer recurrence and sometimes even death,” Rho said. I told Fox News.

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“To prevent the latter result, we designed a fluorescent dye targeting cancers that specifically return to folic acid receptor-expressing cancer cells and fluoresce brightly when exposed to near-infrared light.”

Rho explained that folic acid, a B vitamin, is required for rapid division of cancer cells, so he invented a drug that tags folic acid compounds with fluorescent dyes. The drug is given intravenously to the patient before surgery.

Washington, DC, USA-January 13, 2020: Signed by the FDA at its headquarters in Washington, DC. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) is a federal agency in the United States.

“Cancer cells have a very strong desire for this vitamin, and we took advantage of their desire for folic acid by attaching a fluorescent dye to it,” Law said in a release.

Law told Fox News that when the lights were on, surgeons could find and remove malignant lesions that they might have overlooked during surgery.

A spokesperson for the University of Pennsylvania Health System told Fox News that while Phil Law of the University of Pennsylvania was synthesizing the drug, school researchers were lead researchers in Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the trial, with promising results. Said he found. According to a spokeswoman, Dr. Sunil Singhal, along with colleagues at the Center for Precision Surgery at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, worked with On Target Laboratories to lead Cytalux’s largest clinical trial site in the country.

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“By using fluorescent dyes that bind to cancer cells and illuminating them during surgery, surgeons can identify and resect the patient’s tumor as much as possible and improve the prognosis,” Abramson Cancer said. Shinharu, director of the Center’s Precision Surgery Center, said.At the University of Pennsylvania Said in the release..

In a randomized, multicenter Phase 3 study, 134 adult females who received Cytalux intravenously prior to surgery were evaluated with both fluorescent and normal light. According to the announcement, 27% of the group detected at least one cancerous lesion that was not found by standard visual or tactile examination during surgery.

Researchers at the university have announced that the new technology will provide surgeons with a guide that goes beyond what can be seen with the naked eye or tactile sensation, especially when the lesion is small. They also said that they help surgeons remove cancerous tissue in a more accurate way, while refraining from removing healthy tissue. The newly approved dye also helps detect cancerous lymph nodes.

“By brightening cancers that help identify lesions that are difficult to find, especially when there is damage to scar tissue or other organs, it is more complete of cancers that may have been missed otherwise. Identification and surgical removal will be possible, “said Janos L. Tanyi, Principal Investigator at the clinical trial site for Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Tanii, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University’s Perelman School of Medicine, said the new FDA approval could improve the outcome of patients with ovarian cancer who are at high risk of recurrence after initial treatment. ..

Scientists prepare protein samples for analysis in the laboratory of Sutton’s Cancer Institute.
(Reuters)

Researchers have announced that only 20% of ovarian cancers are detected early because they are asymptomatic or their symptoms mimic common gastrointestinal, bladder, or intestinal problems. By the time most women are diagnosed, the disease is advanced and most patients need surgery to remove the tumor along with chemotherapy, the researchers said, according to the report.

Cytalux is the first tumor-targeted fluorescent agent for ovarian cancer approved by the FDA.

On Target Laboratories will release the drug under the brand name Cytalux.