Scientific Cancer Update from Dr Sean Bew and his research team at the University of East Anglia - School of Chemical Sciences & Pharmacy
(report written 2005)
 Mars Attacks!
Dr Sean Bew and his research team in the School of Chemical Sciences & Pharmacy at UEA are evolving novel strategies for the potential
treatment and diagnosis of cancer. Using specially designed entities called calixarenes his team of organic chemists, in conjunction with Professor
Dylan Edwards' team of biological scientists, also at UEA, are attempting to develop a series of compounds that should selectively latch onto and
kill only cancer cells.
A particular concern with most of the currently available conventional anti-cancer drugs is their indiscriminate attack of healthy cells. Although
many anti-cancer drugs attack and kill cancer cells, they will also kill healthy cells to the detriment of the patient. It is because of this
indiscriminate attack on healthy cells that these drugs are so toxic to the patients receiving them.
One of the aims of the research at UEA is the development of unique, anti-cancer agents that have been 'pre-programmed' to recognise and attack
only cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. This is scientifically a very difficult challenge, but one obviously worth pursuing.
The 'pre-programmed' chemical entities are designed so that they target a specific component found in large numbers on cancer cells, these are
called receptors. Receptors are employed by all cells to communicate and receive instructions telling them what they should do. For example one
cell may be instructed to grow, divide or even die. The wrong signal may instruct a cell to grow too fast or to multiply too many times. It is
when this signalling process goes wrong that cancer cells can develop. It is the intention of the chemists and biologists at UEA to exploit
this.
The chemists hope to do this by designing a molecule that will land on the receptor of a cancer cell and send a chemical signal telling the
cancer cell to die.
In a similar fashion to the lunar landing Apollo spacecraft that touched down on the Moon's surface in 1969 the scientists hope to construct a
synthetic molecule that is able to land on the surface of a cancer cell. In an analogous fashion to the Apollo spacecraft the molecule, called a
calixarene will 'circle' the cancer cell, locate the 'pre-programmed' receptor and make its descent to land on the cancer receptor.
After the calixarene has 'docked' a chemical signal is sent to the receptor to instruct the cancer cell to die.
The first step in the laboratory would be to make a chemical equivalent to the 'Apollo landing craft' with the correct characteristics to
selectively pick out a specific receptor on a cancer cell. A future development envisages the calixarene carrying designer 'payloads'.
One small step for chemists...one great leap for mankind!!
The international research team of Chemists comprises:
- Dr Sean Bew: UEA research team leader.
- Rebecca Brimage: British Chemistry graduate from UEA (3rd year Postgraduate).
- Sunil Sharma: Indian graduate student from the School of Pharmacy in Ooty, India. Funded by a UEA Scholarship (1st year Postgraduate).
- Dr Nathalie L'Hermite: French postdoctoral research associate who joined our team in September 2004.
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