A long, costly journey lies ahead before use on patients ****************************************************************************************** * ****************************************************************************************** The information, released by his research team at the beginning of July, that he had succe discovering a possible new means of the biological treatment of so-called squamous-cell ca head and neck, and that he had even had it patented, attracted a massive amount of attenti the media, but also the general public. However, in an interview for iForum, the Head of t Institute of the CU 1st Faculty of Medicine [ URL "http://www.lf1.cuni.cz/en"] , Professor urged restraint and noted a long, costly journey still lay ahead between laboratory resear use of the treatment on patients. Whether they start this journey will depend on whether a could be found in the private sector. What started you on the path leading to patents for the biological treatment of malignant head and neck? Since the Second World War our institute has been engaged in embryology, and I, too, start embryologist. A key factor in the genesis of an embryo is communication between a variety cells. We noticed that something similar, that is, crucial intercellular communication, al pathological conditions, for example between malignant cells and tumorous stroma cells – t tissue that supports the activity and growth of tumorous cells –, so we decided to look in We are looking for the molecules through which tumorous cells speak to stroma cells, and t block them with the aid of e.g. blocking substances. How do those substances work? Blocking substances connect to the active part of the molecule, used in conversations betw substance blocks off this spot, and the molecule ceases to act as a carrier of information however, we are using substances that are not usable in clinical medicine. Substances that administered to humans must ideally be humanised, i.e. they should consist of a mixture of blocking substances. The development of such substances is, however, quite costly; there a firms that possess this technology to a very high level – we hope that they might be inter research. The second option is to develop special, small molecules, capable of connecting to either spot of an information molecule so that the molecule ceases activity, or to a specific rec molecule, thus stopping the exchange of information. We started cooperation with Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, the Nobel laureate for supramolecul have now published a joint article (Professor Jean-Marie Lehn is a member of the Scientifi CU First Faculty of Medicine and also gave a lecture at the CU Faculty of Science in June ed.). We hope that this collaboration can help us find some commercial entities that may b our results. In the course of your research we found that the growth of a carcinoma is significantly in tumorous cells in its vicinity, and primarily by so-called fibroblasts, that is, cells wit tissue. What led you to research these cells? It was, in a way, just by chance. About ten years ago one of our colleagues, who started h our laboratory and now works in Singapore, was given the task of isolating and cultivating It didn’t quite work out, but he did end up with a large quantity of fibroblasts. We felt to use this in some way. We knew from our embryological studies that the exchange of infor surrounding fibroblasts and epithelial cells plays a major role in the creation of skin de as hair, nail and, in the case of the oral mucous membrane, teeth. It was therefore, an of were doing already, and one that proved very fruitful. So sometimes even relative failure can lead to good results. Do scientists in your field r patience in their research? Yes. Nowadays it’s something of a problem, because most of us live off grants and projects short in duration, up to three years, or five, if they work out. Once you’ve started somet not see success within the first five years. Thank god that grants exist in the first plac hand, it’s a shame that they are relatively short-term, because it means that we’re missin of interesting results. All everyone wants nowadays are quick results and quick publicatio entirely right. But, that’s all we have. How have you been able to finance the project? We were part of the faculty’s research plan. Now we are part of Charles University Researc Scheme (known under the Czech acronym PRVOUK) no. 27 and the project run by the Biotechnol Biomedical Centre (BIOCEV), as well as receiving grants from the Czech Grant Agency and th Agency of the Czech Ministry of Health. We are also part of the European project consortiu which is interested in the use of glycobiological knowledge in diagnosis and the developme therapeutics; this is one of our laboratory’s other areas of interest. At this point in ti therefore financially very well-covered; however, the grants will soon end and we are look If it doesn’t work out, then I don’t know what’ll happen. Before your discoveries can be used in the treatment of patients, blocking substances must clinically tested. When do you expect this to happen? I’m concerned that it won’t even start, as it’s an extremely costly process and it will be to find someone to finance it. We can’t take our project any further with grant money, eve amounts we receive are quite good. We are currently very actively searching for a commerci so far without success. What would the treatment itself look like? If it ever did take place, about which I am not entirely confident, because when you do re that there are thousands of similar patents all over the world, and only one of them catch years. But if it nevertheless did, then it would be like any other biological treatment. F or any other type of therapy, the patient would receive intravenously a cocktail of blocki small molecules that would block the exchange of information between the stroma and tumoro our experiments we know that, when tumorous cells don’t have information, after a period o their ability to reproduce and start dying off. However, it’s very difficult to say how th a macro-organism. Apparently you are currently investigating options for applying this form of treatment to melanomas … We collaborate with both the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery [ URL "http://orl.lf1.cuni.cz/en/departments-contacts? sAction=detail&sWorkPlaceID=LF133&nInstitution=0&nPage=1&PageNumberWorkPlace=1&sSortBy=poz the Department of Dermatology [ URL "http://kozni.lf1.cuni.cz/en/information"] of the CU 1 Medicine, with whom we share postgraduate students, who research the possibilities for usi in the treatment of malignant melanomas. However, we are finding that, in this case, appli more complicated than is the case with squamous-cell carcinomas. There is still a major qu over whether it will be at all possible. We hope that it will, because the interaction of with stroma cells is a very common phenomenon that affects virtually all types of malignan is possible that some principles could have a very general application and be usable in th other types of melanoma. Teams of scientists from the Anatomical Institute, the Department of Otorhinolaryngology a of the CU 1st Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Aca squamous-cell carcinomas of the head and neck. In recognition of his research in the field, the Head of the Anatomical Institute of the C Minister of Education, Youth and Sports’ Award. Apart from intercellular interactions, his cells. In 2002 he received the national Czech Head award. Source: iForum Image: Petr Heřman (1. lékařská fakulta UK) Date: 22 July 2014