America of a famous hospital Scientists by Cancer A cell-killing drug has been developed that destroys solid tumors through ‘targeted chemotherapy’.
The pill contains a protein, for example, that acts like a ‘blizzard that can shut down an airline’s main hub and thus stop the flow of only planes carrying cancer cells.’
The protein was developed by a research team at City of Hope Hospital, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States.
A molecule called AOH1996 works by targeting the cancer variant of PCNA, a protein important for DNA replication and tumor growth.
Developed over the past two decades, this drug has proven effective in clinical research for the treatment of breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin and lung cancers.
In this study, published in the medical journal ‘Cell Chemical Biology’, this protein was tested on more than 70 cancer cell lines.
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The results showed that the AOH1996 molecule selectively killed cancer cells by disrupting the normal reproductive cycle of the cell. The next step is to advance these findings through clinical trials in humans.
Dr Linda Malkas, PhD, Professor of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at City of Hope and MT&BA Professor of Molecular Oncology, Ahmadineja said: ‘PCNA is like a large airline terminal hub with a More air gates are included. The data showed that PCNA is uniquely mutated in cancer cells and this fact helped us develop a drug that would target only the mutated form of PCNA in cancer cells. is.’
He added: ‘Our cancer-killing drug is like a blizzard that shuts down a major airline hub only to stop all flights carrying cancer cells.’
According to him: ‘The results have been promising. AOH1996 can inhibit tumor growth as a monotherapy without inducing toxicity in cell and animal models. The investigational chemotherapy is currently in a phase one human clinical trial at City of Hope.’
The study’s lead author, Long Guo, associate research professor in the Department of Molecular Diagnostics at Beckman Research Institute in the City of Hope, added: ‘No drug has ever targeted PCNA therapeutically. was made because it was considered ‘untreatable’ but clearly City of Hope was able to develop an investigational drug to target a challenging protein.’
According to him: ‘We discovered that PCNA is one of the possible causes of increased nucleic acid replication errors in cancer cells. Now that we know the specific part of the problem and can prevent it, we will go deeper to understand the process to develop more personalized and targeted cancer drugs.’
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What is the targeted mechanism of action of the chemotherapy drug AOH1996 developed by Dr. Malkas?
**Interview with Dr. Linda Malkas on Breakthrough in Cancer Treatment**
**Editor:** Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Linda Malkas, a leading researcher at City of Hope Hospital. Dr. Malkas, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us more about the recent development of the targeted chemotherapy drug, AOH1996?
**Dr. Malkas:** Thank you for having me. AOH1996 is an exciting breakthrough in cancer treatment. This drug has been designed to selectively target the cancer variant of a protein called PCNA, which is crucial for DNA replication and tumor growth. By focusing on this specific variant, we can effectively disrupt the reproductive cycle of cancer cells without harming normal cells, thereby reducing side effects associated with traditional chemotherapy.
**Editor:** That’s fascinating. You mentioned that this drug has shown effectiveness against various types of cancer. Can you elaborate on which cancers are being targeted?
**Dr. Malkas:** Absolutely. Our research has indicated that AOH1996 is effective in treating multiple cancer types including breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancers. This wide-ranging applicability makes it a promising option for many patients.
**Editor:** It sounds promising! The analogy you used about PCNA functioning like an airline terminal hub is quite illustrative. Can you explain that a bit more?
**Dr. Malkas:** Certainly! Think of PCNA as a large airline terminal that serves many flights, or cellular processes, relying on it for efficient operation. In cancer cells, PCNA has unique mutations that set it apart from healthy cells. Our drug acts like a blizzard that disrupts operations at this terminal, effectively halting only those flights—cancer cells—while leaving normal processes intact.
**Editor:** This drug has been in development for over two decades. What are the next steps following the positive results from your studies?
**Dr. Malkas:** The promising results observed in preclinical studies involving over 70 cancer cell lines are just the beginning. The next crucial step is to initiate clinical trials in humans to assess the drug’s effectiveness and safety in a clinical setting.
**Editor:** Thank you, Dr. Malkas. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. We look forward to hearing more about the clinical trials in the future.
**Dr. Malkas:** Thank you for your interest! I’m optimistic about the possibilities that AOH1996 brings to cancer therapy.
