Tag Archives: drug

Study questions anti-cancer mechanisms of drug tested in clinical trials

But new research appearing the week of Jan. 13 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that activation of AMPK may actually fuel cancer growth. Researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center who led the study also recommend that clinicians testing metformin for cancer treatment consider a careful re-evaluation of their clinical data. The researchers report on extensive laboratory tests that conclude metformin does stop cancer, although not by activating AMPK…

Antipsychotic drug exhibits cancer-fighting properties

The findings suggest that developing medications that activate PP2A, while avoiding perphenazine’s psychotropic effects, could help clinicians make much-needed headway against T-cell ALL, and perhaps other tumors as well. A study team led by Alejandro Gutierrez, MD, and A. …

Breaking down cancer’s defense mechanisms

The method uses a drug which breaks down the protective barrier surrounding pancreatic cancer tumors, enabling cancer-attacking T cells to get through. The drug is used in combination with an antibody that blocks a second target, which improves the activity of these T cells. Initial tests of the combined treatment, carried out by researchers at the University’s Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, resulted in almost complete elimination of cancer cells in one week. The findings, reported in the journal PNAS, mark the first time this has been achieved in any pancreatic cancer model. …

Key drug receptor: Atom-level simulation of a G protein-coupled receptor could lead to improved drug design

Roughly 40 percent of all medications act on cells’ G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). One of these receptors, beta 2 adrenergic receptor site (B2AR), naturally transforms between two base configurations; knowing the precise location of each of approximately 4,000 atoms is crucial for ensuring a snug fit between it and the drug. Now, researchers at Stanford and Google have conducted an unprecedented, atom-scale simulation of the receptor site’s transformation, a feat that could have significant impact on drug design. This is the first scientific project to be completed using Google Exacycle’s cloud computing platform, which allows scientists to crunch big data on Google’s servers during periods of low network demand…

Drug cuts breast cancer cases by more than 50% in high risk women

The results of the IBIS II trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and led by Queen Mary University of London, could offer a new option for preventing breast cancer in high risk post-menopausal women which is more effective than tamoxifen and has fewer side-effects. The study looked at almost 4,000 postmenopausal women at high risk of breast cancer with half being given 1mg of anastrozole daily and half given a placebo. In the five years of follow up 40 women in the anastrozole group developed breast cancer compared to 85 women placebo group. …

First in-human trial of endoxifen shows promise as breast cancer treatment

"We achieved up to 60 fold higher levels of endoxifen compared to endoxifen levels achieved with the standard dose of tamoxifen," says Matthew Goetz, M.D., a Mayo Clinic oncologist and lead author of the study. "We have seen evidence for tumor regression in patients who had failed standard hormonal therapies including aromatase inhibitors, fulvestrant and tamoxifen. This is an exciting first step in the development of this drug." Tamoxifen is a hormonal therapy that has been used for over 40 years to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence and to prevent breast cancer. …

Researchers to present results from breast cancer trials

"NeoALTTO is a randomized, phase III clinical trial evaluating whether a combination of two HER2-targeted therapies, trastuzumab and lapatinib, given with standard paclitaxel chemotherapy before surgery [neoadjuvant therapy] is better than just one of the HER2-targeted therapies given with the same chemotherapy," said Martine Piccart-Gebhart, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Breast International Group (BIG) in Brussels, Belgium. …