Building on their earlier work, Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that an apparently nontoxic cellular “energy blocker” can eradicate large liver tumors grown in rats. Six months to more than a year after treatment was stopped, the rats are still cancer free. While the results are dramatic, clinical trials with the chemical, 3-bromopyruvate, are likely some years away, says the study’s leader, Young Ko, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiology and biological chemistry. If tests in the lab continue to be promising, however, the chemical or one like it may become an option for treating advanced liver cancers and perhaps other tumors in people.
