Novel cervical cancer therapy
Dr. S. Wen's colleague in China has shown a beneficial effect of arsenic trioxide cream in the treatment of genital warts. Dr. Wen, together with her senior colleague, Dr. L. Ghali, here at Middlesex University, decided to investigate the effect of the arsenic compound on cell lines derived from cervical cancers. Knowing the causal relationship between papilloma virus infection and this form of cancer, it was interesting that they found that arsenic trioxide destroyed those cells in which the virus was expressed and tracked this down to an effect on specific papilloma proteins.
They now wish to see whether cells derived from primary cervical cancer tumours removed at operation are susceptible to arsenic treatment.
Goals
1) Proof of Principle that arsenic trioxide will kill papilloma virus-infected cervical cancer cells obtained from human operation specimens.
2) Then, demonstrate that the growth of such tumours is inhibited in both cell culture and xenografts.
3) Agree a Clinical Trial with a well-funded Chinese University Hospital (The First People's Hospital of ChangZhou), with good connections to Middlesex University.
Project team
Dr. Song Wen
Project Leader
Dr. Lucy Ghali
Scientific support
Dr. Dong Li
Assessment of drug effects
Dr. P. Cohen
Histopath. (Imperial)
Providing tissue