Supernatants of tumours treated with chemotherapy can alter tumour growth and development in vivo.

Background: Tumour-derived supernatants are comprised of bioactive substances that have the capacity to transform host systems rendering them more supportive of tumour growth. Certain chemotherapies are able to alter the make-up of these supernatants.

Materials And Methods: We explored the effects that vaccination with supernatants derived from tumours may have on tumour growth in a BALB/c model.

Enhancing the activity of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids in vitro through modifications to drug combinations and treatment schedules.

Cannabinoids are the bioactive components of the Cannabis plant that display a diverse range of therapeutic qualities. We explored the activity of six cannabinoids, used both alone and in combination in leukaemic cells. Cannabinoids were cytostatic and caused a simultaneous arrest at all phases of the cell cycle.

Dendritic cell phenotype can be improved by certain chemotherapies and is associated with alterations to p21(waf1/cip1.).

Introduction: Dendritic cells (DCs) possess the capacity to elicit immune responses against harmful antigens and have been used in DC-vaccines to stimulate the immune system to engage cancer cells. However, a lack of an appreciation of the quality of the DC that is used and/or the monocyte from which it is derived has limited their successful incorporation into treatment strategies.

Methods: In the current study, we explored the relationship between cytokine receptor expression on the monocytes and its subsequent development into DCs.

Inhibitors of NQO1: identification of compounds more potent than dicoumarol without associated off-target effects.

The enzyme NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) can function both as a detoxifying enzyme as well as chaperone protein. The latter property has been extensively characterized by the use of dicoumarol which inhibits the chaperone properties of NQO1 in cells. However, the use of this compound is compromised by its multiple "off-target" effects.

Pharmacological inhibitors of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase, NQO1: structure/activity relationships and functional activity in tumour cells.

NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) has multiple functions in the cell including an ability to act as a detoxifying enzyme and as a protein chaperone. The latter property is particularly important in oncology as one of the client proteins of NQO1 is p53. The inhibitor, dicoumarol, is classically used to probe the biological properties of NQO1, but interpretation of enzyme function is compromised by the multiple "off-target" effects of this agent.