2023-05-30 15:34:00
A new door has just opened in the fight once morest cancer. Breton researchers from Inserm have just published – in collaboration with their counterparts from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden – the results of 20 years of research on glioblastoma, the most common and most aggressive brain tumor. And the least we can say is that their results are extremely promising.
It’s promising but we still have a long way to go before we get to a drug.
After years of screening molecules, analyzes on the therapeutic target, laboratory tests on mice, scientists have identified a whole battery of molecules that would improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce the risk of relapse for patients with this type of tumour.
Encouraging tests
“It’s promising, but we still have a long way to go before we get to a drug,” says Éric Chevet, research director at Inserm. “We have been able to identify very immature molecules that have interesting effects on cancer cells. Tests on mice in the laboratory have been very encouraging and have shown that tumor relapse can be delayed”.
How it works ?
“A cancerous cell subjected to chemotherapy will ‘stress’ and set up mechanisms to defend itself”, explains Éric Chevet. “By combining this treatment with the molecules we are working on, we prevent these mechanisms from acting to make the chemotherapy as effective as possible”. And thus offer a better chance of remission to patients. “That does not mean that we are going to treat glioblastoma”, specifies the scientist from Rennes. “Today, life expectancy is 15 months for those affected. If we manage to double this figure, it would be a colossal step forward. We have only just opened a new door, so, of course, that can give hope”.
Effective on other types of cancer?
Before arriving at a drug available in pharmacies, the path still seems very long. “We have molecules that have therapeutic potential, now there is still a lot of work before it can be transformed into medicine. There is a lot of chemistry to be done to improve the properties of the molecules we have. They need to be more stable and even more efficient. There is still a lot of work to be done.”
This may also involve the arrival of private investors in the project. “Today, investment is made through programs funded by the state or by foundations,” says Éric Chevet. “To have sufficient funds and the necessary human resources, it will probably go through private investment”.
We participated in studies that showed that there were similar mechanisms in other types of cancer
Especially since this work might well benefit research once morest other types of pathologies. “We took part in studies which showed that there were similar mechanisms in other types of cancer,” adds the research director of theInserm. “It is legitimate to think that if these molecules are effective on brain cancer, they might also have a positive impact in the treatment of other cancers”. Further studies are still needed to be sure.
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