Posted February 07, 2018 11:15:00 A cancer-fighting method is making its way onto the market, and its called heterostructured photocatalysts (HSPCs).HSPC’s are being made by two German companies, Bayerische Research in Münster and Avanti in Riga, as part of a plan to fight cancer using a combination of a biological and physical model.
The two companies are using a technique known as biocompatibility (BI), which aims to mimic the way cells in a body communicate with each other.
Bayerische Research is working with German biotech giant, Novartis, to use HSPCs as part the “biocap” (chemical tag) to help cancer cells divide.
The Biocap is made up of a polymer and a protein called a glycoprotein.
It has a molecular structure that mimics the way the human body makes proteins and has been shown to be able to stop tumor growth.
“It’s very interesting to see the potential of HSPC for treating cancer.
For example, using the Biocaps to treat human glioma cells is very exciting, as it shows that HSPCo is indeed able to inhibit tumor growth in a cell,” said Andreas Schulz, director of the Biomedical Engineering Laboratory at Bayerische research.”
We are very excited about the future of the biocap and its potential to be used in the treatment of other cancers,” he said.
As well as biocaps, the researchers are also developing a bioprinter that can be used to generate a biocompatible “pharmaceutical” that can be applied to cancer patients.
The bioprinting technology is not cheap, though.
A bioprinter is being developed by the University of Münsters research group and a biomimetic is being developed from a small group of scientists at Bayerisch.
But, said Schulz: “We have already invested a lot of money in developing the bioproducts, and we are still working on the cost-saving and quality-assurance of our bioprocad.”
Bilfoss, which makes bioproteins, said: “We have invested more than 10 million Euros into research into bioprocessing technology.
It’s a long journey ahead, but we are confident that we will be able produce products for our customers within three years.”
The researchers say the bioplastic is “a very exciting development” for biocatalysis.
“It will not be the last time we see HSPs in use in cancer treatment,” said Avantis founder Andreas Schulze.
“The bioplasty of cells from normal and cancerous tissue is not a new technology, and HSPc’s are already being used in biotechnology.
However, the biomimetics approach makes it possible to use bioproponents in a way that is more economical than other methods, including those that use chemicals,” he added.
(Reporting by Sophie Dickson; Editing by Robert Birsel)