>> Peggy: JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT HIS ALGAE BASED CANCER
DRUG IS PROFESSOR STEPHEN MAYFIELD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING ME.
>> IT'S NICE TO BE HERE.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS ALGAE DRUG PROTOTYPE.
WHAT IS IT.
WHAT TYPE OF CANCER IS IT MEANT TO TREAT.
>> THIS IS AN ANTIBODY TOXIC FUSION.
IT HAS AN ANTIBODY DOMAIN AND A TOXIN DOMAIN.
IN THIS CASE WE WILL TREAT CANCERS, SPECIFICALLY THIS WAS
FOR B CELL LYMPHOMAS.
>> Peggy: THERE IS ANOTHER DRUG BEING DEVELOPED FROM A
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.
WHY DEVELOP THIS FROM ALGAE FOR THIS CANCER, WHY NOT FOR ONE
WITHOUT A DRUG.
>> SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU DEVELOP A NEW SYSTEM
LIKE THIS IS SHOW PEOPLE IT'S SAFE AND EFFECTIVE AS EXISTING
SYSTEMS.
THE BEST WAY IS TO DO A APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON.
WE MADE A SIMILAR DRUG TO ONE THAT IS IN CLINICAL TRIALS SO WE
CAN TEST THEM.
ONCE WE'RE SUCCESSFUL AND WE SHOW PEOPLE THE ALGAE BASED DRUG
IS JUST AS EFFECTIVE AND JUST AS SAFE THEN WE WILL LOOK AT THE
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OUT.
THERE.
>> EASIER TO COMPARE WHAT IS ON THE MARKET THEN SOMETHING BRAND
NEW WITH NO COMPARISON.
>> YES.
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE HOW DOES THIS COMPARE TO EXISTING
TECHNOLOGIES.
WE CAN SHOW IT'S CHEAPER BUT WE HAVE TO SHOW IT'S EFFECTIVE AND
SAFE FIRST.
>> Peggy: GIVE US THE CLIFFNOTES ON THE ALGAE DRUG.
HOW YOU MAKE IT, MADE IN A LAB AND WHAT IS APPEALING?
>> WE MAKE THIS IS A PHOTO SYNTHETIC ORGANISM.
WE HAVE AN ABILITY TO GROW THOSE CHEAPER AND FASTER THAN
TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS.
WE GET THERE QUICKER AND WE GET THERE CHEAPER.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
WE TAKE A HOW FAN GENE ANTIBODY.
THEN IT'S SYNTHESIZED AND PUT IT IN A TRANSFORMATION VECTOR AND
SCREEN THOSE FOR THE PROTEINS.
>> Peggy: INJECTING IT INTO THE ALGAE, SO TO SPEAK.
>> WE SHOT IT IN WHEN W. SOMETHING CALLED A PARTICLE GUN.
WE COAT THE DNA ON GOLD PART SALZ AND SHOT THEM IN AND THEY
LAND IN THE RIGHT PLACE AND DELIVER IT TO THE GENOME.
>> Peggy: OWE CAME.
CRITICS SAY, SOME CRITICS OF ALGAE SAY IT TAKES AN ENORMOUS
AMOUNT OF WATER, LIKE TEN OR 33 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER OR
10 BILLION GALLONS TO MAKE A BIO FUEL.
THIS IS NOT A GOOD USE OF RESOURCES.
DOES IT TAKE THE SAME AMOUNT TO MAKE ALGAE BASED MEDICATION?
>> NO.
THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT MEDICATIONS THE
SCALE OF THAT IS A FRACTION.
I MEAN LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF WHAT WE WOULD THINK OF WITH
BIO FUELS.
IN THIS CASE WATER IS NOT LIMITING.
EVEN IN THE BIO FUELS WE SHOW MARINE ALGAE AND WE CAN
TRANSFORM THEM.
JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO WE SHOWED INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES IN MARINE
ALGAE.
WE CAN DO EVERYTHING WITH MARINE ALGAE AS FRESH WATER.
FOR MOST THERAPUTICS WE KEEP IN FRESH WATER.
>> Peggy: IT'S SMALLER.
>> MUCH SMALLER SCALE.
>> Peggy: WHATS THE NEXT STEP TO A CLINICAL TRIAL?
>> THIS WE WON'T TAKE TO A CLINICAL TRIAL.
THERE IS AN EXISITING DRUG THAT'S SIMILAR AND SUCCESSFUL
AND EFFECTIVE.
I THINK THE NEXT FOR ME IS TO LOOK FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
ONE I WOULD LIKE TO PUSH FORWARD IS DOGS HAVE THE SAME EXACT
CANCERS THAT WE.
HAVE THERE IS NO TREATMENT FOR B CELL LYMPHOMA IN DOGS.
THEY GET IT AND THEY DIE FROM IT, THERE IS NO TREATMENT.
I THINK THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL CONCEPT TO TREAT ANIMALS AND
IT'S EFFECTIVE.
IT'S ON THE PATH TO TREAT HUMANS AS WELL.
>> Peggy: EXPLAIN A LITTLE CLOSER TO ME.
YOU MAY TAKE THIS DRUG AND DEVELOP FOR VETERINARY USES AND
FROM THERE PROGRESS TO HUMAN USE.
>> EXACTLY.
THE ANTIBODY -- NOW WE WILL GET
AN ANTIBODY DIRECT AGAINST THE SAME PROTEIN BUT ON CANINE B
CELL LYMPHOMA.
MAKE A ANTIBODY TOXIC FUSION AND USE THIS TO TREAT DOGS.
>> Peggy: ALRIGHT.
WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
STEPHEN MAYFIELD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS
INTERESTING WORK YOU'RE DOING.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE AND THANK YOU FOR NOT CALLING IT
POND SCUM.