A new drug causes nerve tissue to emit light, enabling faster, safer surgery

When the surgeons dissect the tissue to remove or repair a tumor, they should work carefully, rely on electrophysical monitor and to avoid cutting the nerves, their own physical knowledge, which can complicate the patient’s recovery.

The New Mexico Surgeon University has helped to develop and test a first-its type that binds nerve tissue and floresis (emissions of light), allowing surgeons to see the nerves better to see the veins that they are trying to work.

A new published study in Nature communication Reports That bewonasin – a small range of amino acids attached to a fluoresing molecule – was safe to use and expose prolonged stretch of veins than veins, would appear to the naked eyes, improve operating obstacles without injury.

“The way I explain this medicine to patients, the way I can help surgeons to improve the better things,” said that if we can help surgeons better things, “Ryana Osroso And said the Otolarinogist (Head and Head and Head and Head and Head and Head and Head and Head and Ottosco. Neck surgeon) In the UNM School of Medicine, who co-written the paper.

The journal article reported on a small phase 1-2 study of the drug, which was tested at 27. Cancer patient To evaluate its safety and efficacy.

“The test was for patients with a neck dissection to remove lymph nodes or a parotid surgery or a thyroid surgery,” he said. “In all those cases, there are cranial nerves It is important to identify, work around and protect. ,

Currently a large phase 3 study involves patients in the UNM hospital and is expected to be completed in this summer, Oroso said. This will assess whether the use of imaging agent improves the overall surgical consequences meaningfully, not designed to determine some initial tests.

Orosco’s involvement in drug development is back to its ENT residence at California University, San Diego, where they have Quen Guayin, MD, Ph.D. He worked with the late biochemist Roger Tsian, PhD, who won the Nobel Prize in 2008 Green fluorescent proteinTo enable the development of methods of “tag” to cancer cells such as specific molecules and tissue types.

Guyen’s research eventually developed Bewonasin. Orosko, who used to perform a head and neck cancer fellowship in Stanford before joining the UCSD Faculty, played a role in developing a clinical trial protocol and performed several surgery in the study.

He joined the UNM faculty in late 2022 and now serves as the National Principal Investigator for Phase 3 testing of the drug, which now includes 10 sites.

In the trial, patients receive an IV infusion of the drug before surgery, but it is quickly cleaned by the kidneys, the Oroso said.

“We can image them after five, six, seven, eight hours after, and it is still bound to the veins, but it exits the body within 12 hours.”

In operating roomSurgeons use a microscope with specialized lights and filters that illuminate the surgical site on a specific frequency that causes the drug to flow. The veins appear as yellow-green-green structures that threaded through the surrounding tissue.

An upcoming phase of research will evaluate the use of surgeons wearing surgeons instead of surgeons especially modified headband-mounted magnifying loops.

“The test of those lips in a spinoff test is an important and practical step towards the implementation of the real world,” said by Orosco.

If step 3 test shows clear clinical benefits from the use of bewonasin during the head and neck SurgeryThis FDA can win approval, which can lead to widespread use in surgical processes throughout the body.

“Once the FDA has approved it for a certain signal, it will be on the shelves,” he said. “Even the surgeons can use it off-labeled for whatever they want. Then the big question is how it happens? Who starts using it and in what type of surgery?”