Discovery - drug that inhibits the development of the most aggressive form of cancer

Medicine is about to take another big step forward. Researchers have discovered a new drug that can successfully inhibit the development of the most aggressive form of breast cancer. A preclinical study led by the University of Adelaide, Australia, is showing promise in the fight against triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive form of the disease, according to Theresa Hickey, a breast tumor specialist at the Dame Roma Mitchell Cancer Research Laboratories. from the same university. The results of this study, according to tests carried out on animals, cells and tissues, show that this drug could hold the key to improving survival rates, currently there is no treatment that specifically targets this type of breast cancer, chemotherapy and immunotherapy being the only ones options. The drug is designed to be taken orally and works by targeting a specific protein in the cancerous tumor called CDK9, which speeds up cell growth, Hickey explained, adding that the substance effectively stops cancer by inhibiting this protein. "Our preclinical study shows that the drug was able to stop the multiplication of tumor cells without affecting the normal cells in the breast tissue taken from the patients," she said. The study, published in the scientific journal Oncogene, also involved Prof. Wang Shudong from the University of South Australia, who developed the drug (CDDD11-8) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, also used as a bioactive inhibitor , potent and selective, orally administered, CDK9 protein for cancer treatment. The drug needs further development before it can move to human trials, said Theresa Hickey, who expressed hope that this could be done within the next five years and perhaps even sooner. Hickey added that the researchers plan to conduct other clinical trials to see if this potential therapy could be used to treat other types of breast cancer.