Potential Anti-cancer Activity
Nelfinavir were under investigation, in 2009, for potential use as an anti-cancer agent. When applied to cancer cells in culture (in vitro), it can inhibit the growth of a variety cancer types and can trigger cell death (apoptosis). When Nelfinavir was given to laboratory mice with tumors of the prostate or of the brain, it could suppress tumor growth in these animals. In vitro tests showed it may work well with sorafenib
In the United States, several clinical trials were conducted in 2008 that sought to verify whether nelfinavir is effective as a cancer therapeutic agent in humans. In some of these trials, nelfinavir was used alone in monotherapy fashion, whereas in others it was combined with other modes of cancer therapy, such as well-established chemotherapeutic agents or radiation therapy.
Good phase I results were obtained for locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
In the UK, in 2010, a phase I trial (of nelfinavir with radiotherapy), on patients with inoperable cancer, showed a doubling of survival times, and six patients had tumor regression to the extent that they became operable.
Read more about this topic: Nelfinavir
Famous quotes containing the words potential and/or activity:
“It can be fairly argued that the highest priority for mankind is to save itself from extinction. However, it can also be argued that a society that neglects its children and robs them of their human potential can extinguish itself without an external enemy.”
—Selma Fraiberg (20th century)
“The teacher must derive not only the capacity, but the desire, to observe natural phenomena. In our system, she must become a passive, much more than an active, influence, and her passivity shall be composed of anxious scientific curiosity and of absolute respect for the phenomenon which she wishes to observe. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon.”
—Maria Montessori (1870–1952)