A promising new drug that can inhibit cancer development has been transferred from its developers — two universities in Taiwan — to a multinational pharmaceutical company, which will continue research and development on the medication, academic sources said on Friday.
According to National Taiwan University (NTU) and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan, the drug — an inhibitor against integrin protein “alpha-nu-beta-3” — will be released to the Taiwanese subsidiary of US-based Anchen Pharmaceuticals under an agreement signed on Friday in Taipei.
Chuang Woei-jer (莊偉哲), a professor of medicine at NCKU, said that the integrin alpha-nu-beta-3 adheres one cell to another, which can inadvertently trigger angiogenesis, a process whereby cancer cells encourage the growth of extra blood vessels to acquire additional nutrition.
EFFECTS
By inhibiting alpha-nu-beta-3, Chuang said, the drug — known by the name “alpha-nu-beta-3 disintegrin” — can effectively suppress angiogenesis and the activity of osteoclasts, a kind of cell that destroys bone cells.
When osteoclasts are over-excited, they can lead a cancer to metastasize to the bones.
Once angiogenesis and osteoclasts are moderated, the tumorous cells will lose their vitality and become more susceptible to the curative powers of other drugs, Chuang said.
Fu Wen-mei (符文美), a professor of medicine at NTU, said the new drug can be used to treat cancer metastasis to the bones, macular degeneration and osteoporosis.
Potential annual sales of the drug have been estimated at no less than NT$30 billion (US$910 million), Fu said.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
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