Theralase Technologies Inc. V.TLT

Not photodynamic therapy

[Eoganacht]

To state the obvious, if Metaformin can successfully activate Rutherrin to produce ROS and selectively kill cancer cells then Theralase has left the realm of photodynamic therapy and joined the mainstream medical treatment world of needle sticking and pill popping. 

This should make at least some of Theralase's ACT more appealing to big pharma. If, in some futute procedure, patients aren't completely cancer free after taking their Rutherrin/Metaformin then doctors can freshen up the effect with a light dose of X-rays which are a pretty mainstream cancer treatment already.

The fact that both drugs can cross the blood-brain barrier might effect the design of the upcoming gbm trial by adding Metaformin to the Rutherrin, X-ray mix.

[enriquesuave]

This could potentially be beyond huge!  We see that the combination of Rutherin and Metformin results in the same ROS formation as Rutherin and X-rays alone.  Basically what that would allow is for treatment of main tumors with Combination Ruherin-Metformin and X-rays for even greater ROS formation and tumor cell kill, and at the same time, any distant or undetected metastasis would be

[DJDawg]

Eog. I have a science question as I don't understand all the nuances of PDT. When light activates a Ru compound such as ruvidar or rutherrin is the light part of the energy transfer process leading to ROS and cell damage or is it more that the compounds are like coiled springs, ready to help generate ROS with the right trigger event? I ask only because the metformin activation makes you think

[Eoganacht]

Hi DJDawg - that's a toughie. I'm afraid the science behind PS activation is beyond me but Dr. McFarland investigated this and reported about it in a 2023 paper. Using Biological Photophysics to Map the Excited-State Topology of Molecular Photosensitizers for Photodynamic Therapy Abstract ...Very little is known about the excited-state properties of any PS in live cells, and for TLD1433

[Eoganacht]

Also Drs. McFarland, Lilge and colleaguea went into some detail about the mechanism of PS activation in their 2019 paper: Transition Metal Complexes and Photodynamic Therapy from a Tumor-Centered Approach: Challenges, Opportunities, and Highlights from the Development of TLD1433 "The mechanisms of the photodynamic effect (and hence PDT) are inherently complex, but they generally fall into

[DJDawg]

Thanks for sharing. So interesting and complicated. I cannot say I get most of it but the more I read the more I get.

[CancerSlayer]

Great post Eoganacht.  The ramifications of the Rutherrin-Metformin combo continue to grow/surprise.   I guess the number of combo treatments will depend on the half-life or clearance rate of these drugs in order to determine appropriate at home use.  But even if Rutherrin &/or x-ray radiation are required more often, this would not exclude their use at home.  For the sick