Canadian scientists inhibit cancer protein 
 
TORONTO - Canadian medical scientists say they've developed
a new way to inhibit two cancer proteins in a study that
might lead to more effective chemotherapy. A research team
led by University of Toronto-Mississauga Professor Patrick
Gunning created several molecules that inhibit Stat3 -- a
protein that in cancer cells pairs with a copy of itself and
becomes unstable. "The molecules we have created are particu-
larly nice because they're showing selectivity against cancer
cells, but not against healthy cells," Gunning said. "This
molecule could be used in conjunction with typical chemother-
apeutics, and it could mean that drugs will have less resis-
tance-so you could use lower dosages and cause fewer side
effects." The scientists said the Stat3 protein is involved
in nearly all cancers, and is known to contribute to the
resistance of cancer cells to current drug therapies. "Most
currently available therapeutics aim to induce cell death,"
Gunning said. "We wanted to make small molecules that could
try and stop this protein." The study that also included
scientists from the University of Central Florida and the
Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto appears in the Sep-
tember issue of the European journal ChemBioChem.