New drug class unveiled at Imperial
Wednesday April 11th, 2018
British researchers have announced the development of a new class of drug developed to treat drug-resistant tumours.
The drug ICEC0942 targets the enzyme CDK7, which is involved in the transcription process.
Yesterday scientists at Imperial College, London, reported the properties of the drug in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
It is already undergoing testing in a phase I clinical trial and the first patient received it last November, taking it in oral form.
It was previously tested in laboratory models on treatment-resistant breast cancers, the researchers say – and this indicated minimal side-effects.
The researchers are hoping it may also work with other transcription-dependent cancers, such as acute myeloid leukaemia and small-cell lung cancer.
Oncologist Professor Charles Coombes said: "Drugs such as these could help to shift the balance back in favour of the patients, potentially providing a new option to patients for who existing treatments no longer work."
Dr Iain Foulkes, from Cancer Research UK, said: “We hope that this promising new class of drug will offer more options to patients who have few left available to them, and help more people survive their cancer."
ICEC0942, an Orally Bioavailable Selective Inhibitor of CDK7 for Cancer Treatment. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 15 March 2018
http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2018/03/15/1535-7163.MCT-16-0847
Tags: Cancer | Pharmaceuticals | UK News | Women's Health & Gynaecology
Printer
friendly page