Professor Sang Yong Jon in the Department of Life Science at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and Harvard Medical School jointly announced that they have discovered a new drug delivery system that enables anti-cancer cells to track cancer cells and kill them. According to the announcement, this discovery reduces common side effects, such as killing normal cells while destroying cancer cells, of current anti-cancel medical treatments and increases the effectiveness of anti-cancer medicine treatment. The result of this research was recently published in Angewandpe Chemie International (German Journal).

The research team created an ‘RNA Aptamer’, allowing materials to stick to the prostate cancer cell, in pieces. An effective anti-cancer cell material, doxorubicin, is then attached to the RNA Aptamer pieces. RNA Aptamer pieces are the navigator for carrying anti-cancer cell doxorubicin to prostate cancer cells. When the RNA Aptamer with doxorubicin is injected to prostate cancer patients, the RNA Aptamer is melted down and only the anti-cancer cell, doxorubicin is alive and destroys the prostate cancer cells.

Professor Jon said, “This development of a new drug delivery system can be applied to not only prostate cancer but also to breast cancer and stomach cancer.” The research team will start animal testing soon.

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Chosun Ilbo (Daily News), Joongang Ilbo (Daily News), Donga Ilbo (Daily News), Money Today, Hankuk Ilbo (Daily News), EBN, Segye Ilbo (Daily News), Fox Net, Maeil Economy, ETNews, Newsis, YTN, Hankook Economy, MOST News, Junnam Ilbo (Daily News), Mudeung Ilbo (Daily News), Korea Times(Daily News)

The *Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) is a research-oriented graduate school established by the Ministry of Science and Technology in the Republic of Korea in 1993.
*The university’s identity was changed from K-JIST to GIST in 2004

- November 2, 2006 -