Grant: Operating Grant

(1)Coronary arterial obstruction can lead to heart attack. Oxygen carrier in solution can perfuse through the obstruction to supply oxygen. However, this can result in the release of damaging oxygen radicals. We have prepared an oxygen carrier-enzyme complex that can supply oxygen and at the same time remove oxygen radicals. We have shown earlier that this can prevent oxygen radical damage in a rat stroke model. With the importance of coronary heart diseases, we propose now to study its effect in an ischemic heart model. This will also avoid the side effects of heart attack when using oxygen carriers as blood substitute in transfusion. (2)Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer that cannot be adequately treated at present. We have prepared a new enzyme carrier to rapidly lower systemic tyrosine level. Daily injections slow the growth of melanoma in mice. We shall be doing using a new method of nano artificial cells that have a longer duration of action to study if it can suppress rather than just retard the growth of melanoma in a mice model. Results obtained may lead to a treatment for melanoma (3) The liver of patients with severe acute liver failure can have a chance to recover if the patients are maintained alive with short term support for their liver functions. Donor source for human liver cells is rare, but donor human bone marrow is routinely available. Bone marrow stem cells can differentiate into liver cells and can secrete growth factors to help the liver to recover. We are studying artificial cells containing rat bone marrow cells in a rat model of acute liver failure. Our early results show an increase in survival of animal treated this way. We are proposing to carry out more detailed studies using this approach.