A team of Taiwanese researchers have found a potential remedy for liver cancer using a drug used to treat arrhythmia, which would be much cheaper and less toxic than existing treatments.
The arrhythmia drug amiodarone has been shown through animal testing to be able to suppress liver tumors by boosting autophagy — the process of cells breaking down unnecessary components, National Cheng Kung University professor of microbiology and immunology Liu Hsiao-sheng (劉校生) said.
Autophagy plays an important role in many types of cancer and past studies have shown reduced autophagy in liver cancer patients, Liu said on Wednesday as he unveiled the findings at a press conference at the university.
Liu said his team also found that among the 46 liver cancer patients studied, those with reduced autophagy had a lower survival rate after surgery, which led to conjecture about the role autophagy plays in inhibiting cancer and inspired his team to scour the market for drugs that boost the process.
Autophagy has been shown to have dual roles in cancer. One is to suppress tumors by preventing the accumulation of damaged proteins and organelles, while the other is to boost the growth of established tumors by promoting cell survival, although research has shown that it is more likely to be used as a tumor suppressor.
The team conducted animal testing with several drugs and found amiodarone was able to boost autophagy, in turn suppressing the growth of liver tumors.
Once it has passed clinical trials, the arrhythmia drug promises to reduce the hefty medical bills for liver cancer patients, Liu said.
Existing liver cancer drugs cost more than NT$1,500 per pill, which could amount to NT$40,000 to NT$50,000 per patient per month. By contrast, amiodarone costs just NT$8 per pill, Liu said.
Liu said amiodarone has the potential to be developed into a liver cancer drug, noting that it is also less toxic than other drugs used to treat liver cancer.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS