AZD3965 drug could be useful in the treatment of lung cancer cells in small -
Manchester scientists have shown that a new drug could be useful in the treatment of cancer cell lung - the most aggressive form of lung cancer.
scientific research in the UK Manchester Cancer Institute, based at the University of Manchester and part of cancer Research Centre Manchester, has teamed up with experts at AstraZeneca, as part of a cooperation agreed in 2010 to test a drug - known as AZD3965 - on small lung cancer cells with small cell
research, published in the journal Clinical cancer research also identify patients who are most likely to respond to. treatment.
The present treatment approach being studied by cancer scientists is to find drugs that exploit the shift in energy production in tumors. In cancer cells there is a switch by means of glycolysis, a process that requires less oxygen and produces lactate as a byproduct. Some molecules - monocarboxylate transporters (MCT) -. Are involved in the movement of lactate out of cells and drugs that target the MCT have been shown to arrest tumor growth
Manchester researchers tested a new drug that targets one of these molecules, MCT1, in lung cancer cells and in mouse models
Professor Caroline Dive, who led the research, said :. "Small lung cancer has a poor prognosis and we have seen little improvement in the treatment of many years more targeted therapies are needed to help patients whose tumors become resistant to chemotherapy The new drug -.. AZD3965 -. is currently in clinical trials, but it has not been tested in cell lung cancer "
the team studied the sensitivity of small cell lung cancer cells and showed that AZD3965 in cells lacking an alternative carrier lactate, MCT4, the drug had an effect. They found that the drug has increased the level of lactate in the cells and especially tumor growth, reduced.
They then looked at tumor samples from lung cancer patients and found that were associated with worse patient high levels of MCT1. prognosis
Dive professor added: "We propose that this drug will be most useful in this subset of patients who have high levels MCT1 and need for more effective treatments
. "Our laboratory results are promising and certainly provide an incentive to test this treatment clinically in patients with lung cancer small cell"
Susan Galbraith, chief of oncology drugs unit innovative at AstraZeneca, said: ". Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death, and we are working on a number of treatment options that could provide patients with a better chance of beating the disease. Targeting the tumor cell metabolism is a new and exciting approach, and we are excited to work with the University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK to investigate the usefulness of AZD 3965 as novel potential treatment of cancer. "
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