Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-15

Some cancer Cells
Streptomycin Cousin Has
Growth lnhibitine Effect
By Thomos +. Henry
Azaserine. D new antibiotic which ID
crude Nitrate OF the mould strepto-
myces from which streptomycin Is OBJ
tanned. has been found to inhibit
growth Of certain types Of cancer cells.
This product was developed at the
Sloan-K lettering Cancer Institute and
by scientists OF the Parke Davis Co.,
Detroit drug manufacturers, and has
Just been announced publicly for the
first time in Nature, the official Journal
Of the British Association for the Adj
vancement of Science.
According to the announcement by
Drs. G. Chester Stock. II. Christine
Buckley, Sonia M. Buckley, Donald A.
Clark and C. p. Rhoads, the prepare
ton shows definite activity in inhib-
iting the growth Of at least one cancer
type. mouse sarcoma. It also stops
growth in yeast cells. The two actions
seem to be closely correlated. the dis
coverers say.
Like all the biotics, azaserine is def
nitely poisonous but an eight-fold range
has been found between the minimum
effective dose against mouse sarcoma
and the maximum dose which can be
tolerated.
The new drug may be of some prac-
tical importance and there are plans
eventually to carry out tests with hui
mans, although the discoveries appar-
emily do not anticipate anything very
notable. The theoretical significance.
however. may be considerable. Some of
the implications will be discussed at
halliday session at the spring meet
ing Of the American Chemical Society.
Bacterial Pattern Duplicated.
Any type Of cancer acts very much
like the spread of q bacterial infection.
The wildly proliferating cancer cells
spreading through the body in the
blood stream can be compared to the
spread Of the single-celled disease
causing bacterial cells.
Starting about decade ago with the
various sulfa drugs and continuing
through development Of penicillin and
host Of other antibioticS medical
science has gone a long way towards
combating the infections. But 1t hard
ly has been considered in the past that
one or more Of them might act in the
same way against any Of the multitude
OF diseases now popularity classified as
cancer"
Azaserine seems to present the first
definite evidence Of such an action
and. If present indications are upheld,
may open up q whole new field Of
cancer research.
The material can be prepared, the
British announcement says, in the form
Of light yellow-green crystals which are
easily soluble in water. Not only can
it be obtained from the mould cultures
but 1t can be synthesized.
The discoveries obviously are anxious
not to hold out any false hopes, and
they make no claims for the clinical
value Of their product.
X-Radiation Doses Resisted.
Injections Of finely powdered mouse
bone. very carefully cleaned of all bone
marrow, have been found to protect
mice from otherwise fatal doses of
X-radiation In experiments at the Ma
tional Cancer Institute here.
The lethal effects of radiation are
due to damage both to blood cells and
to the spleen and bone marrow where
these cells are created. It has been
known for some time that effects of
radiation could be greatly minimized
by injections Of either bone marrow or
Of spleen extract. This has been a
major line of medical research, looking
to the possibility of an atomic attack.
The powdered bone is just about as
good as the bone marrow, according
to experiments just reported by the late
DR.. Egon Lorenz of the National Cancer
Institute and Dr. Charles C. Congdon
OF the Atomic Energy Commissions
Argonne Laboratory
There was hardly the slightest posi-
bility. they claim, that even the mi-
nutest fragment Of the blood-forming
bone marrow was present in their ma
terial. Yet in little bone islands which
formed in the bodies of the mice mar
row was present and evidently was
created from the bone itself.
The implication. says the report.
is that bone tissue itself contains mys-
FERROUS radiation protection factor
which may be the same as that found
In the marrow and the spleen and
which has not been identified. Neither
the bone, spleen nor bone marrow need
be from the species of animal used in
the experiments. Thus, according to
the report, 1t has been found that bone
marrow from rats gives quite adequate
protection to mice and the factor may
be the same throughout the animal
kingdom.