Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics have developed a new drug which can has proven to reduce the growth of tumours in mice by up to 98%. The team of scientists found that the drug reduced the growth of glioblastoma – the most common form of brain tumour, and also decreased the growth of ovarian tumours in mice by 80%.
The drug works by blocking the P13 kinase pathway, which is linked to the spread of cancer. The researchers believe the drug, GDC-0941, may have the potential to help many different human cancers and have devised several trials to see how the drug will works in humans. This could be a very potent anti cancer medicine as it targets the processes that feed cancer cells without damaging any healthy cells.
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Harpal Kumar, said –
We’re delighted to see our investment over many years in understanding this aspect of cancer bear fruit in the form of a drug that is showing promise in early studies. We hope further investigation into this drug will continue to yield positive results which could lead to a powerful new weapon to treat a wide range of cancers.
