By now, it’s common knowledge that a daily dose of baby aspirin can increase cardiovascular health. But there may be another application for this commonplace medication – and a Rochester Hills research firm has gotten a $100,000 contract from the National Institute of Health to refine the applications of the medicine.
Taking aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen on a daily basis, says Denis Callewaert, president and chief executive officer of Oxford Biomedical, can cut the risk of colorectal cancer in half. Anti-inflammatories have also proven useful in reducing the risk of breast cancer, he says.
But anti-inflammatories carry risks of their own – about 16,000 people died last year from gastrointestinal bleeding associated with the use of medications like aspirin and ibuprofen, he says.
And that’s where Oxford Biomedical comes in.
Nutritional supplements aimed at reducing cancer risks and anti-inflammatory sales comprise a billion-dollar yearly industry, Callewaert – “But we have no way to know whether we need it or how well it’s working. How do you know if you’re taking enough or too much? The goal of our contract is to develop a blood test that could be used to determine the effects on people. The premise is the level of this stuff in your blood is going to relate to how your body is positioned to ward off cancer.”
The first phase of the contract is a feasibility study, he says, with the ultimate goal of developing a prototype test,
Source: Denis Callewaert, Oxford Biomedical
Writer: Nancy Kaffer
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