British scientists say they have made key breakthroughs in the search for new drugs effective against prostate cancer.
The researchers at Bath University have been investigating the AMACR protein, which is heavily involved in all cancers of the prostate.
Its activity increases by ten times when there is cancer present, the researchers say.
The researchers have developed new techniques to find the protein and monitor its activity. This has led them to potential new drugs to tackle it, they have reported in the journal Bioorganic Chemistry.
Researcher Dr Matthew Lloyd said: "This study is really significant because it gives detailed information about the structure of these drugs and provides a rational basis for understanding their behaviour. That means that we have some really promising avenues to explore as we work towards developing new treatments against prostate cancer, and other cancers where AMACR is involved."
Simon Grieveson, from Prostate Cancer UK, welcomed the progress.
He said: "With one man dying from prostate cancer every 45 minutes in the UK there is a desperate need to develop new and effective treatments for the disease, and that’s why it’s so important that we continue to fund explorative studies like this.
"The protein AMACR has been shown to be present in larger quantities in aggressive prostate cancer cells, and this research group have successfully developed a technique to find the protein and monitor its activity.
" Further to this, they have now found certain compounds that can target this protein’s activity in the lab and stop the cancer cells in their tracks. The research is still in its infancy and is some way off from clinical investigation, however this is certainly promising and we look forward to seeing how this research progresses over the coming years."
Novel 2-arylthiopropanoyl-CoA inhibitors of ?-methylacyl-CoA racemase 1A (AMACR; P504S) as potential anti-prostate cancer agents. Bioorganic Chemistry November 2019
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045206819304365
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