New Drug Blocks Common Cancer Pathway
15 July 2009 - Scientists have developed a new drug which can reduce the growth of tumours in mice by up to 98 per cent, according to a study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
In this study, the team of scientists found that the drug reduced the growth of glioblastoma - the most common form of brain tumour - in mice by 98 per cent and decreased the growth of ovarian tumours in mice by 80 per cent. In separate investigations, scientists also found the drug worked against a number of cell lines derived from other human cancers. The team used markers to show how the drug works by targeting the PI3 kinase pathway, which is known to be linked to the growth and spread of many cancers.
The drug works by blocking this pathway which is often 'hijacked' in human cancers - enabling them to grow and spread. It corrects faulty genetic signals that cause unrestricted cancer progression, as well as preventing the function of cells in the body that support the tumour by increasing its essential blood supply - a process called angiogenesis.
The Institute of Cancer Research's Chief Executive Professor Peter Rigby said: "We are very excited about the promise this drug is showing in targeting a range of cancers in the laboratory, and look forward to the results of the ongoing clinical trials.”
