Most people are familiar with the story of the Trojan Horse–the large wooden horse used to hide the Greek army who then overtook the city of Troy. One of many famous stories that highlights ingenuity, the story of the Trojan Horse also illustrates a good point: it’s difficult to attack and win against something that is heavily fortified. To win, you must get behind its defenses.
Using this story as a backdrop, we’d like to now talk to our New Jersey readers about a new drug treatment scientists have discovered that will allow doctors to do what the Greeks did: get past a cancer cell’s defenses and win. The tests have been so successful that scientists believe it can be used to fight drug-resistant cancers and leukemia as well.
How does it work?
Cancer drugs are “hidden in a capsule made of folded up DNA,” which masks the drug from the cancer cell’s defense systems. Just like with the Trojan Horse, the unsuspecting cancer cell takes in the drug, which then infiltrates the cell and kills it from within. So far, tests have shown promising results. Researchers have even proven that the technique works with “drug-resistant leukemia cells,” explains a Phys.org article.
Does the treatment affect other parts of the body?
Unlike other cancer treatments, like chemotherapy which attacks other body systems, the DNA Trojan Horse can be specifically engineered to target only cancer cells, making it a much more effective and much less harmful treatment.
Though further testing is required, results at this time suggest a promising future for cancer patients, particularly those who are living with a debilitating form of cancer.
