British scientists have identified a promising chemical treatment for aggressive brain tumours, it has been announced.
In lab tests by researchers at the University of Leeds, UK, aggressive brain tumour cells were exposed to a chemical called KHS101. Exposure to this chemical caused the cells to self-destruct, the researchers reported last night (15 August) in Science Translational Medicine.
It does so by cutting the energy source of tumour cells, say the team, who believe the work "represents an important step forward in tackling glioblastoma".
"When we started this research we thought KHS101 might slow down the growth of glioblastoma, but we were surprised to find that the tumour cells basically self-destructed when exposed to it," says Dr Heiko Wurdak.
He adds: "This is the first step in a long process, but our findings pave the way for drug developers to start investigating the uses of this chemical, and we hope that one day it will be helping to extend people’s lives in the clinic."
The researchers explain that KHS101 can cross the blood brain barrier in mammals, where it disrupts the mitochondria and metabolism within the tumour cells, and shutting off the energy supply leading to their self-destruction.
Commenting on the work, Professor Richard Gilbertson of Cancer Research UK said: "Treatment for glioblastoma has remained essentially unchanged for decades, so there is a pressing need for preclinical research like this to identify and characterise potential new drugs.
"While the findings are encouraging, as an experimental chemical, further rigorous testing and refinement of KHS101 is required before trials in people can begin."
Polson, E. S. et al. KHS101 disrupts energy metabolism in human glioblastoma cells and reduces tumor growth in mice. Science Translational Medicine 15 August 2018
http://stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aar2718
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