The popular vitamin used to keep skin clear and healthy could be the key to CANCER treatment
- Australian scientist develops new way to distribute chemicals in vitamin E
- Vitamin is associated with maintaining healthy skin and eyes; increase immunity
- But one of the chemicals could help treat pancreatic cancer and liver disease
An Australian biotechnology entrepreneur has developed a new way to distribute the powerful chemicals found in vitamin E, which could be used as a treatment for pancreatic cancer and fatty liver disease.
The chemicals, known as tocotrienols (T3), can act as an anti-inflammatory, preventing scarring and stopping the accumulation of fat.
T3s produced excellent exercise performance results when first tested in rats, but proved somewhat less effective in human studies – until Dr. Glenn Tong realized that rats received a better dose because they chewed the drug before swallowing.
“It’s a very direct way to administer your medicine – it goes directly into the bloodstream without first going through the gut and liver,” he told AAP.
“The potential is huge.”
Dr. Tong decided to try the same thing in humans, developing a way to administer T3 under the tongue.
An Australian biotechnology entrepreneur has developed a new way to distribute the powerful chemicals found in vitamin E, known for maintaining healthy skin and eyes.
His company, Azure Health Technology, has now secured patents for delivery technology in major markets, including the US, EU, Japan and China.
It is also about to begin second-phase clinical trials with T3 administered under the tongue to patients with fatty liver disease and pancreatic cancer.
“No one else has done this before with T3s,” said Dr. Tong.
There is no treatment for fatty liver disease, while currently approved treatments for pancreatic cancer do not provide a significant improvement in the patient’s quality of life or for how long they live.
The results are expected within two years, while the US Food and Drug Administration has indicated it would be willing to speed up its approval of T3 drugs for these diseases.
Dr. Tong says T3 can fight cancer cells by triggering cell cycle death and preventing metastases that can see cancer spread through the body.
The company has raised $ 2.25 million to partially fund the two studies through an IPO and plans to be listed on the ASX later this month.
Dr. Tong says that if all goes well, the drugs could be on the market in three to four years.