Investigators at the University of North Carolina (UNC)
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that oral
treatment of mice with a drug that inhibits enzymes involved in
cell division caused certain groups of bone marrow cells to
temporarily stop dividing (which they termed ‘pharmacological
quiescence’ or PQ). Several decades of work have shown that
cells which are not dividing are resistant to agents that damage
DNA, like radiation. Workers in the Sharpless lab were then able
to show that the induction of PQ immediately before or up to 20
hours after radiation exposure were able to protect mice from a
lethal dose of radiation. PQ protected all the normal cells of
blood, including platelets, red cells and white cells. “We
believe this study is really exciting. We have identified a
simple, non-toxic pill that decreases radiation toxicity even
when given after radiation exposure. We believe this approach
could be of use in humans who are accidentally or intentionally
exposed to lethal doses of radiati