Essay High Levels of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase (ALDH) Leads to Chemo- and Radioresistance – Medical Science Assignment Help

Assignment Task:

Task:

Topic: High levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) leads to chemo- and radioresistance, but can their functional activity also be exploited for patient benefit?

Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) belong to a class of enzymes, which catalyse the oxidation and detoxification of reactive endogenous and exogenous aldehydes [1]. ALDH1 has been widely studied and is considered a marker of normal and malignant human mammary stem cells and has been shown to be predictive of poor clinical outcome. Increased expression of ALDH has been implicated as a mechanism whereby tumour cells escape the lethality of chemotherapeutic drugs such as the DNA-affinic agents doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, taxanes-based antimitotic inhibitors paclitaxel and docetaxel as well as radiotherapy [2]. However, recent reports suggest pathways between ALDHs and DNA repair have potential to be exploited in drug discovery [3]. It is the task of the student to review and critically appraise current literature and evaluate potential obstacles and opportunities of exploiting ALDH expression for patient benefit?