In a new study, researchers investigated the resistance of some cancer cells to a drug called Taxol.
Taxol:
- Other name – Paclitaxel (sold under the brand name Taxol)
- Well-known natural-source cancer drug
- Derived from the bark of the Pacific yew tree
Chemotherapy:
- A defining trait of cancer cells is their uncontrolled and rapid division.
- Anti-cancer drugs, also known as chemotherapeutic agents, function by halting or inhibiting this excessive proliferation.
- When the division of a cancer cell is halted, it typically initiates a programmed cell death pathway known as apoptosis.
- This process allows chemotherapy to eliminate cancer cells without impacting adjacent non-cancerous cells that are not actively dividing.
- However, this is also the reason why chemotherapy can cause considerable unintended harm.
- Any tissue with a substantial population of normally dividing cells, such as those in the digestive tract, bone marrow, and hair follicles, can be impacted by chemotherapeutic agents and experience apoptosis.
- Side effects include painful inflammation of the oral cavity and the gut, and nausea, diarrhoea, anaemia, and hair loss.
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs):
- A combination of a drug connected to an antibody that specifically targets a protein primarily located on cancer cells, or at least predominantly so.
- In this manner, the antibody acts as a guide, directing the chemotherapeutic drug to the cancer cells where it can initiate its therapeutic action, while sparing non-cancerous cells.
Source: The Hindu
Previous year question
Which one of the following statements best describes the role of B cells and T cells in the human body?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) They protect the body from environmental allergens.
(b) They alleviate the body’s pain and inflammation.
(c) They act as immunosuppressants in the body.
(d) They protect the body from the diseases caused by pathogens.
Answer: (d)
