A new drug has been developed to treat triple negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease. Initial trials show that it is capable of blocking tumor growth.
- Triple negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
- A drug has shown promise: it can block the growth of tumors.
- It was initially created to treat acute myeloid leukemia.
More than 60,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected each year, according to data from Public Health France. About 15% of these are triple negative breast cancers, a “form of aggressive breast tumor”warns Foundation for Medical Research. Australian researchers are working on a promising avenue to treat this type of cancer. In the magazine Oncogenethis team from the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide explains having discovered a drug “promising”which could lead to the creation of a treatment.
Triple negative breast cancer: how does this promising drug work?
“There is currently no treatment specifically targeting this type of breast cancer, with chemotherapy and, in some women, immunotherapy being the only options. specifies Theresa Hickey, breast cancer expert and lead author of this study. The results of this study show that this drug could hold the key to improving survival rates.” Designed to be taken orally, it targets a specific cancer tumor protein called CDK9. The latter is responsible for accelerating cell growth. “By inhibiting this protein, it effectively stops cancer.”underline the authors.
During an in vitro test, carried out using samples taken from patients suffering from this tumor, Australian scientists observed that the drug prevents the multiplication of tumor cells, without affecting normal cells in the breast tissue. No side effects”toxic” was not observed by researchers. “I“It’s still early days, but based on this early evidence, we believe that inhibiting this protein could lead to a treatment for triple negative breast cancer.”believes Theresa Hickey.
A drug initially developed to treat blood cancer
The drug tested is not new. It was developed by Professor Shudong Wang, who also works at the University of South Australia. Called CDDD11-8, it was initially designed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer. “We developed CDDD11-8 to be a potent, selective and orally bioactive CDK9 inhibitor for the treatment of cancer, recalls this specialist. We are excited about its therapeutic potential against triple negative breast cancer.”
For now, the team is working on the development of this drug to be able to launch human trials soon. Theresa Hickey hopes this goal will be achieved within the next five years. At the same time, she plans to carry out other studies to determine whether this drug could be used to treat other cancers. “It is imperative that we continue to research and preclinically evaluate targeted therapies for this aggressive disease and improve the outlook for all breast cancer patients.“, concludes Professor Hickey.
