Glossary of Terms
Adjuvant treament
Usually treatment as a follow-up to surgery designed to remove any microscopic traces of tumour which may be left behind
Angiogenesis
A physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. A fundamental step in the transition of tumors from normal to malignancy.
Cell Proliferation
An increase in the number of cells as a result of cell growth and cell division.
Cell signalling
Part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions.
Complex sugar
Chains of three or more single sugar molecules linked together.
Cytostatic
Inhibiting or suppressing cellular growth and multiplication, without killing the cell.
Dacarbazine (DTIC)
A chemotherapy agent administered intravenously to treat metastatic melanoma.
Dose escalation
The maximum dose of the drug that can be given to a subject, either animal or human, is found through performing dose escalation studies in phase 1. These studies involve administering increasing doses over the course of the trial until side effects that are considered significant occur.
Dysregulated
An incorrectly functioning system.
Enzyme
A protein in the body active in biochemical processes.
Epigenetics
The study of heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any change in DNA sequence.
Fibroblast growth factors (FGF-1 & FGF-2)
A family of protein growth factors involved in new blood vessel formation, wound repair, lung maturation, and the development of skeletal muscle, specific lineages of blood cells and bone marrow stroma.
Genes
Biologic units of heredity that are located at a specific position on a particular chromosome (cell structure composed of a linear thread of genetic material). Genes contain the instructions for the production of proteins, which make up the structure of cells and direct their activities.
Gene expression
The process by which the information in a gene is used to create proteins.
Heparan Sulfate (HS)
A linear polysaccharide, a complex sugar, found in the extracellular matrix in all animal tissues. HS binds to a variety of protein ligands, binding sites, and regulates a wide variety of biological activities, including developmental processes, angiogenesis, blood coagulation and tumor metastasis.
Heparanase
An enzyme that acts both at the cell-surface and within the extracellular matrix to degrade polymeric heparan sulfate molecules into shorter chain length oligosaccharides.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
A malignant tumor of the liver, otherwise known as liver cancer. Chronic hepatitis B and C infections may increase the risk of developing liver cancer.
Histones Deacethylases (HDACs)
A class of enzyme that removes acetyl groups from amino acids making up a histone (one of the proteins about which DNA is wrapped), increasing positive charges to the histone tails and encourages high-affinity binding between the histones and the DNA backbone. This process condenses DNA structure, preventing transcription.
Lysine Specific Demethylase (LSD1)
A newly discovered enzyme that removes methyl groups from amino acids in a histone protein. Inhibition of LSD1 could result in the re-expression of aberrantly repressed genes that are important in cancer.
Metastasis
The process in which cancer cells break away from the original tumor mass and establish new tumor sites elsewhere in the body.
Mutations
Changes in the way cells function or develop, caused by an inherited genetic defect or an environmental exposure. Such changes may lead to cancer.
Novel cancer therapeutics
Potential new drugs that effect cancer cells and their growth in ways different than those of presently available drugs.
Oncology
The branch of medicine that studies tumors (cancer) and seeks to understand their development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Pharmacokinetic
The study of the way that drugs move through the body.
Phase 1 clinical trials
Phase 1 trials are the first stage of testing in human subjects. Normally, a small (20-80) group of patients will be selected. This phase includes trials designed to assess the safety (pharmacovigilance), tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of a drug.
Phase 2 clinical trials
Once the initial safety of the study drug has been confirmed in Phase 1 trials, Phase 2 trials are performed on larger groups (20-300) and are designed to assess how well the drug works, as well as to continue Phase 1 safety assessments in a larger group of patients.
Phase 3 clinical trials
Phase 3 studies are randomized controlled multicenter trials on large patient groups (300–3,000 or more depending upon the disease/medical condition studied) and are aimed at being the definitive assessment of how effective the drug is, in comparison with current 'gold standard' treatment. Because of their size and comparatively long duration, Phase 3 trials are the most expensive, time-consuming and difficult trials to design and run, especially in therapies for chronic medical conditions.
Placebo-controlled
Refers to a clinical study in which the control patients receive a placebo.
Polyamine
Organic compounds having two or more primary amino groups - such as putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine - that are growth factors in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.
Polyamine analogue
A compound that is made to resemble a normally occurring polyamine in a cell, but which functions differently than the normal molecule so that it interferes with the ability of a tumor cell to grow and/or remain viable.
Post-resection
After a surgical procedure to remove a tumor or a portion of a tumor, with the aim of preventing recurrence of the disease.
Preclinical trials
Pre-clinical studies involve in vitro (i.e., test tube or tissue culture) studies and trials on animal populations (in vivo). Wide-ranging dosages of the study drug are given to the animal subjects or to an in-vitro substrate in order to obtain preliminary efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetic information. These trials assist pharmaceutical companies to decide if continued development of a drug candidate is warranted.
Small molecule
A potential drug that is small in size and weight. This is in contrast to large molecules, such as a protein, e.g. insulin, or an antibody, e.g. Herceptin.
Translational studies
Research that brings discovery directly from the bench to practical applications in patients.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
A protein that is particularly secreted by oxygen-deprived cells, such as cancerous cells. VEGF stimulates new blood vessel formation, angiogenesis, by binding to specific receptors on nearby blood vessels, encouraging new blood vessels to form.