Lung cancer could find a new cure thanks to beet molasses. This is shown by work carried out by the Sustainable chemistry laboratory of the Junia engineering school, which brings together HEI, ISEN and ISA (Lille agricultural school), in collaboration with the Institute for Cancer Research and Aging (IRCAN) in Nice. ” The laboratory is interested in green chemistry, by transforming bioresources with less polluting processes “, explains Alina Ghinet, head of the laboratory. Located in Hauts-de-France, the laboratory has favored beet molasses, which produces the amino acid, of scientific nomenclature pyroglutamic acid. ” The acid is extracted from the molasses which is chemically transformed by hemisynthesis in order to improve its solubility. Hemisynthesis is a process that, in a few steps, preserves the original skeleton of the raw material “, specifies the head of Sustainable chemistry. The molasses is purchased or collected from an industrialist in the region. ” My only regret is not working directly with beet growers. It is a European project that I would like to carry out in the future, to go from the field to the final molecule she says. The molecule was tested on tumor-bearing mice. The biologists induced cancer cells in hundreds of mice before administering the HEI3090 molecule.
80% tumor regression
Pre-clinical trials are encouraging after three years, including one devoted to chemical research: 80% of mice show complete tumor regression, with no reappearance of cancerous cells. ” The molecule elicited an effective anti-cancer immune response, it activated the mice’s immune systems “says Alina Ghinet. High doses have been administered, up to 200 mg/kg body in order to verify its toxicity. The result is conclusive: the molecule is not toxic in animals, there is no sign of loss of weight or appetite. Following this preclinical phase, three phases will follow, counting 2 to 3 years each. The first will relate to tests on 20 to 100 people, who are called “healthy subjects”, that is to say people in good health, to whom the patented molecule will be administered. ” Three things will be checked in this phase: the tolerance of the molecule, its non-toxicity, its dangerousness and if so, at what dose “, she specifies. This research was funded by the Cancer Research Agency (ARC) and technology transfer acceleration companies (SATT). The Junia school works a lot with molasses: it has a chemical library, a library of molecules, with 4,000 different molecules, where the major part is made from molasses. Beets have a future!