According to Pierre Falardeau, Ph.D., chief operating officer at Thallion Pharmaceuticals in Montreal, Canada:

”In 26 patients with advanced solid tumors, treatment with ECO-4601 is safe and well tolerated, including at doses yielding plasma concentrations above the expected therapeutic threshold.

ECO-4601 has a unique mechanism of action comprising two distinct activities. It inhibits the RAS/MAPK intracellular signaling pathway, which is mutated in many cancer types, and which is the target of several approved cancer drugs such as Erbitux, Avastin, Tarceva, Nexavar, and Sutent.

However, unlike these drugs, our preclinical experiments suggest that ECO-4601 acts at a unique point within the pathway, specifically at the level of RAS itself.”

Produced and tested by Thallion Pharmaceuticals in association with the Segal Cancer Centre of McGill University, ECO-4601 binds to the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor (PBR), which is over-expressed in multiple cancers.

Well, the drug has to pass Phase III Clinical trials in humans before it can be approved  by a regulatory agency such as the FDA.

Find more details from Science Daily.

Post from: Blisstree

Thallion Pharma’s Novel Anti-Cancer (ECO-4601), Passed Phase I/II Clinical Trial

However, it seems like new wonders in broccoli keep getting discovered, probably to give us another reason to eat our vegetables and hopefully to convince our children to love eating them too.

Personally, I do love broccolis (and cauliflowers too!). Unfortunately, they aren’t always available in markets where I live. But on few occasions that they are, I make sure we get some even if in our household, broccolis and cauliflowers (like most vegetables) only “sell” to me and my mother. Our other household members (two teeners and a 4-year old) don’t like them veggies that much.

So we know already know that broccoli and the likes have strong anti-cancer agents that will help us be protected from various cancers.

Now, it has been found that another compound called sulforaphane are found in these cruciferous veggies and yes, the compound has anti-cancer properties.

But broccoli sprouts contain more of sulforaphane, according to researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

The tiny, thread-like broccoli sprouts sold at stores next to alfalfa sprouts have more than 50 times the amount of sulforaphane than found in mature broccoli.

Emily Ho, a researcher with the Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at OSU even claimed that same effects of inhibiting HDAC might be obtained by consumption of cruciferous vegetables.

[drugs classified as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are being looked at as potentially preventing cancer]

According to Dr. Ho:

“I would say if you’re at all worried about cancer or at high risk of cancer, especially of prostate or colon cancer, then increasing your dietary intake of broccoli and other vegetables could be a good idea.

It certainly can’t hurt. And drugs can have negative side effects and be difficult to administer

The compound in broccoli may be one of the strongest anti-cancer fighters we have.”

The new study findings by Dr. Ho and her team have been published in the Journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine.

Going back to cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and brussels sprouts…lucky you if they’re always available in your market. So go get them and eat them too…always.

Read the full report from Oregon State University.

Post from: Blisstree

Like Eating Broccoli? Better Eat Broccoli Sprouts