A groundbreaking new drug named AOH1996 has demonstrated remarkable potential in early-stage studies by effectively eliminating solid cancerous tumors.
The drug, a chemotherapy agent, distinguishes itself by sparing healthy cells, thereby minimizing adverse side effects.
It was named after Anna Olivia Healy, a young child who tragically lost her life to a rare childhood cancer known as neuroblastoma in 1996.
The development of the AOH1996 drug was a result of over two decades of dedicated research by Professor Linda Malkas and her team.
The drug targets a protein called proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which is present in all cancers, including the one that led to Anna’s untimely demise.
In the past, PCNA was considered a challenging target for therapy due to its crucial role in encouraging tumor growth through DNA replication and repair of cancerous cells.
However, the team at the City of Hope in California, a prominent cancer research and treatment organization in the United States, managed to overcome this obstacle.
The drug’s efficacy was demonstrated in preclinical research, where it was found to “annihilate” solid tumors effectively.
PCNA was selectively targeted in more than 70 cell lines, resulting in the disruption of the normal cell reproductive cycle in cancer cells while leaving healthy stem cells unharmed.
The drug showed promise in treating various cancer types, including breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancers.
Despite these promising results, AOH1996 is still in the early stages of development.
Rigorous safety and efficacy testing, along with large-scale clinical trials, are necessary before it can be widely used.
The phase one clinical trial began in October, with the first patient receiving the drug, and is expected to continue for at least two years.
The study is still recruiting patients, and researchers are actively investigating the mechanisms behind the drug’s efficacy in animal studies.
Prof. Malkas likened PCNA to a major airline terminal hub with multiple gates and emphasized that their drug specifically targets the altered form of PCNA found in cancer cells.
She described the drug’s action as similar to a snowstorm that shuts down only the flights carrying cancer cells in and out of the terminal.
While the results are promising, the researchers acknowledge that the drug’s ability to suppress tumor growth has been demonstrated in cell and animal models.
Additional research and testing are required to validate its safety and efficacy in human patients.
Lead author Long Gu highlighted the significance of their achievement in targeting PCNA, previously considered “undruggable,” making AOH1996 an investigational medicine for a challenging protein target.
The study titled “Small Molecule Targeting of Transcription-Replication Conflict for Selective Chemotherapy” was published in the Cell Chemical Biology journal, marking a significant milestone in the quest for more effective and targeted cancer therapies.