The powerful anti-cancer drug imatinib (Gleevec™) has been re-engineered by researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Gleevec is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia and GIST.
The drug targets two proteins that have been linked with cancer. One of its targets is the C-Kit kinase, a protein that has been tied to gastrointestinal cancer, and another is Bcr-Abl kinase, a key protein controlling CML.
Not just for kicks, mind you, but to more specifically target one …read more