At the Hershey Medical Center, cancer-fighting drugs are taking another step forward with a new drug that attacks brain tumors.

Dr. Waldemar Debinski is conducting the research at the medical center with hIL13-PE38QQR (IL13), a new drug created to kill brain tumor cells.

Debinski said most patients diagnosed with malignant brain tumors live 12 months after diagnosis.

After treatment with IL13, some patients have shown significant results, he said.

"In about a week, they're returning to their doctor to find the tumor reduced," Debinski said.

IL13 works by binding to a receptor on the tumor cells, Debinski explained.

"Cancer cells differ from normal cells in the receptors that bind IL13," Debinski said. "After the binding, there's a process occurring called internalization."

Tumor cells have a much higher level of the receptors, Debinski said.

The toxin that is attached with the protein is taken into the cell, and destroys it, he added.

Dr. Yancey Gillespie, of the University of Alabama, also was involved in the study.

"There are very few drugs like IL13, in that it can bind to the cell and be brought inside in a Trojan horse fashion," Gillespie said.

Gillespie added most cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, don't target cells.

They are toxic to both cancer and healthy cells, but have a greater effect on the cancer cells.

IL13 is different because it targets and affects cancer cells without killing healthy cells.

"Through our research, we expected that it would be much safer," Debinski said.

IL13, however, is still in the early stages of a clinical trial.

Patients undergoing treatment receive the drug through a catheter that is inserted into the tumor, and are infused with the drug for a period of one to seven days, Debinski said. Patients might be only mildly sedated.

"We hope one day to be able to produce the drug in intravenous or even pill form," Debinski said.

Bringing a cure to cancer patients would take a combination of drugs and procedures, Debinski said.

Brain tumor cells are not exactly alike and a variety of treatments are needed to successfully kill the cells, he said.