New Molecules Increase the Effectiveness of Certain Cancer Therapies
20 January 2010 - Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and drug discovery company Sareum have developed novel chemical compounds that increase the effectiveness of current cancer therapeutics, an example of which is published in the latest edition of the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
These compounds originate from the Checkpoint Kinase 1 (“CHK1”) Inhibitor joint research collaboration between the ICR, Sareum and Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT). CHK1 is a key component of a biochemical pathway responsible for reducing the effectiveness of traditional cancer therapeutics such as chemotherapy. The collaboration has developed novel, potent and selective CHK1 inhibitors that, in combination with cancer chemotherapeutics gemcitabine (Gemzar) or irinotecan (Campto), significantly reduce tumour growth in preclinical models when compared to the chemotherapeutic alone.
Professor Paul Workman, Director of The Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics at the ICR, said: “These are very exciting times in cancer drug development. This collaboration has brought together expertise and experience at the ICR and Sareum in the discovery of molecularly targeted anticancer agents, and has effectively demonstrated the potential to use existing drugs more effectively and hence improve cancer management.”
