X-Message-Number: 5660
Date: 24 Jan 96 13:12:35 EST
From: yvan Bozzonetti <>
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS: CT-2584 drug.


CT-2584 is the code name for a product with very interesting properties for life
extension. The was an article about it on the "technology" page in the 20
January issue of "New Scientist" p. 18.

Under the title: "Kinder" cancer drug goes on trial, there was the following
informations:
Around thirty patients with advanced cancer are to receive a drug produced by
Cell Therapeutics Inc. from Seattle. CTI's drug, called CT-2584 targets

phosphatidic acids ( the fatty signalling molecules in tumour cells) and enzymes
producing it. According to CTI's president, these molecules are 10 -15 times
more abundant in cancer cells. CT-2584 work by boosting production of these
molecules until they destroy the energy factory of the cell. Starting with a

lower concentration, normal cells are undisturbed by drug concentration up to 15
times as high as is required to kill cancercells.Screen tests conducted at the
National Cancer Institute in Bethesda give the same killing effect at the same
dose on 65 different cancer types. The first human trial must be conduced in UK
by Malcolm Ranson on behalf of the Cancer Research Campagn.

Now, some comments:


First, it is very interesting to have a low toxicity drug able to act against at
least many cancers, or all of them.

Second, there is a potential use of CT 2584 not envisionned in the paper: We

know an important part of the ageing process comes from the limited reproductive
capability of cells. This is produced by the so called telomere reduction. Each

chromosome ends with a nonsignificant stretch of DNA. DNA copying proteins stick
to that part and start to copy the next generation DNA as they move along the

genetic material molecule. The DNA part under the initial position is not copied

and after fifty copies or so, there is no more room to fix the Copying system on
the DNA. The full DNA end can be regenerated by the telomerase enzymes, but few
cells have it in a normal organ. This seems to be a evolutionary trait selected
to limit cancer risks. If a cell loss its contact with nearby ones, it start to
reproduce to close the wound. Some time, there are nearby cells but the
communication system is cripled, if there is an infinite reproductive

capability, this gives a cancer. May be one cell out of 100 000 have the imortal
ticket in the body. There are products able stimulate the telomerase production
in any cell and so turn them into non ageing lines, but the first effect would
to expand by a factor of 100 000 the cancer risk. In this case, anyone looking
after a telomere regenerating drug would end with many cancers in few months.

The prospect of a nontoxic anticancer durg such CT-2584 is then particularly
interesting. Even if the product don't work well on large mass of cancer cells,
we know it work on isolated cancer cells, this is what would be found at start
after using a telomerase stimulating durg. SO, whatever the current test
outcome, we know it work for life extension.

My last comment on the subject holds in that: Is there anybody able to get
CT-2584 for life extension trial?

Any comments or suggestions welcome!

		Yvan Bozzonetti.


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