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Antifungal drug could help treat brain cancer
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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In people susceptible to the most severe form of cancer - hyoblastoma, their own immune cells have virtually no effect on the development of the tumor, i.e. immunity in the presence of cancerous growths in the body simply ceases to perform its direct function - protecting the body. After several experiments, specialists from Canada have established that it is necessary to push the immune cells of the brain to restore their vital functions and fight cancer cells.
With modern methods of treatment of the most aggressive form of cancer, which can last about 15 months, only half of patients survive. The treatment uses methods of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery. Moreover, even removal of the tumor with subsequent use of drugs does not contribute to life expectancy, less than 5% of people with hyoblastoma live more than five years.
The human brain produces its own special immune cells - microglia. The action of such cells is the targeted destruction of infections, and they also serve as protection against injuries. Brain tumors, like most other forms of cancer, develop with the appearance of BTICs cells, the development process of which occurs at a rapid pace, resulting in the appearance of a cancerous tumor.
In the course of their research, scientists from Canada first decided to test the interaction of the body's protective cells (immunocytes) and pathological cancer cells in laboratory conditions. To do this, the specialists extracted tumor cells from people with hyoblastoma and their immune cells, and the scientists also took samples of immune cells from healthy people. As a result, the scientists found that the immunocytes produced by patients with cancer practically did not suppress the development of pathological cells, while the immunocytes of healthy people coped with this task much better. After this, it was decided to try to restore the viability of the body's immune cells in patients with malignant tumors using the drug Amphotericin B.
The second experiment conducted by the researchers involved clinical trials on laboratory animals. The rodents were injected with human cancer cells, and after a certain period of time, the scientists tested the effect of Amphotericin B on sick mice. As it turned out, the drug has the ability to restore the body's defenses, while limiting tumor growth. The rodents that took part in the study lived twice as long, and the rate of cancer cell development slowed down.
The drug Amphotericin B is used to treat severe fungal infections of the spinal cord and brain. According to the lead author of the study, Wee Yun, gene therapy combined with scientific advances in modern conditions shows how it is possible to activate the human immune system, and with significantly greater efficiency. Experts assume that the results obtained in the study will help in the fight against other forms of cancer. In the future, the research team plans to study in more detail all the possible side effects that the drug may cause.
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