You might have read a review article my colleagues and I wrote a few years ago titled, “The Wonders of 2-Deoxy-D-glucose.“ In the opening part of the review, we explainedour ideas as to why 2-DG was such a special molecule as follows:
“Through the eons of time, out of all possible configurations, nature has selected glucose not only as a vital source of energy to sustain life but also as the molecule whose structure supplies the appropriate elements required for a cell to grow and multiply. This understanding, at least in part, explains the profound effects that the analog of glucose, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), has been shown to have on as common and widespread diseases as cancer, viral infection, aging-related morbidity, epilepsy, and others.”
So, it should come as no surprise to learn that recently, Alzheimer’s disease and ischemic stroke has been added to the ever-growing list of diseases where 2-DG is making an impact, as reported by the laboratory of Dr. Rajiv R. Ratan, MD PhD, CEO of the Burke Neurological Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine in the September 2023 issue of the journal Neuron titled: “2-Deoxyglucose drives plasticity via an adaptive ER stress-ATF4 pathway and elicits stroke recovery and Alzheimer's resilience.”
We are very pleased to report that Dr Ratan has graciously agreed for us to join forces to investigate how 2-DG, as well as other sugar analogs we’ve developed for cancer, can best be used to uncover mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease.
We have recently been invited to submit a grant application by the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund with the goal of exploring 2-DG and the other glucose analogs to investigate how they may be developed to better treat Alzheimer’s patients.
By combining Dr Ratan’s expertise and leadership in treating neurological diseases and his close association with Dr. Li Gan – a leader in investigating Alzheimer’s disease and developing Alzheimer’s animal models – we are delighted to be able to add our insights on sugar analogs to this team of experts for the newfound application of 2-DG in
treating Alzheimer’s.
I am also pleased to announce that Dr Daniel Stanciu, founder of the MCS Foundation for Life and co-founder of MCS Formulas – a rising supplement company with a focus on providing supplements for cancer patients – has graciously and generously offered to donate 40,000 euros ($43,500 USD) to use the slow drip protocol we jointly developed to study its use in stage 4 cancer patients in India.
This donation and study will allow us to continue our collaboration with Arpan Talwar and Dr Mandeep Singh, co-founders of the Art of Healing Cancer – a unique institution integrating multiple treatment modalities from modern to traditional medicine and
applying them to late-stage cancer patients.
Our collaborations with this group have already yielded positive results in numerous cancer patients treated with our slow-drip delivery protocol of 2-DG, and the upcoming study will hopefully add to that success and further document the benefits that this remarkable sugar analog offers to late-stage cancer patients.
Additionally, G.ST-antivirals in Vienna, Austria, who we’ve worked closely with, announced recently that their nasal spray delivery of 2-DG for treating rhino-viral infections responsible for the common cold, successfully passed their Phase I clinical trial showing that it was well-tolerated and safe. Based on this result, they have been approved to move ahead for a Phase II trial to determine efficacy.
In my view, the science behind the use of 2-DG for ever-increasing medical applications is now so strong it is only a matter of time before this sugar analog will eventually be made available to the millions of patients that can benefit from it.
I am glad that those of you who follow our work are able to witness and share in our enthusiasm for its success to date and potential for the future.
Dr Theodore “Ted” Lampidis