T.J. Martell Memorial Laboratories at Mt. Sinai Medical Center
New York City, NY
In the TJ Martell Memorial Laboratories at Mount Sinai Medical Center, research on the human mammary tumor virus continues to provide new and cogent information. Viral particles produced by breast cancer cells in culture have the same composition as viral sequences isolated form fresh breast cancers. Comparison studies of infected and uninfected breast cancer cells show specific genetic changes indicative of infection in those with the virus. This shows that the virus is having an effect. All the data accumulated in the Martell Laboratories at Mount Sinai, and in four other laboratories worldwide that have confirmed our findings, weigh against this being a mere passenger virus. We are still exploring methods to prove that the virus may constitute a cause of breast cancer.
Azacytidine, is the first drug established to return the cells of patients with MDS, a serious marrow disease, toward or to normal appearance and function. Based on research spanning 20 years, entirely funded by the Martell Foundation, this drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is now being sold all over the world. Azacytidine is the first compound ever to delay or prevent the appearance of leukemia as a complication of MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome). Studies with other drugs in combination are now under way, potentially to improve on the results.
A new interaction has been recognized between drugs and proteins in blood and in cells. It turns out that drug molecules do not bind to proteins proportionately according to their concentration. By using precise measurements of the weight of a protein plus its bound drug molecules, determined in a mass spectrometer, we have found that certain numbers of drug molecules bind, and other numbers do not. For example, 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 11, drug molecules might bind, but not 3, 5, 6, 9 or 10. This suggests that the binding of drugs may change the 3-dimensional structures of proteins, twisting or turning them to distort their shapes, thus making certain binding sites unavailable. Whether this alters the activity of drugs used in the treatment of leukemia, cancer and AIDS is under intense study.
The scientists, physicians, nurses and technical personnel who work in the Martell laboratories and clinics are deeply grateful for the continued support of the Martell Foundation in advancing the frontiers against the unknowns that still make leukemias, cancers and AIDs such challenging diseases.
James F. Holland MD |