New customised drug developed to fight aggressive breast cancer

by IANS |

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Using breast cancer cells' weakness against themselves, UK scientists linked a tumour-selective antibody and developed a cell-killing drug that can destroy hard-to-treat tumours.


The findings, published on Wednesday in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, target triple-negative breast cancer -- typically aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.


Accounting for up to 15 per cent of all diagnosed breast cancer, it also has a lower survival rate and is more common in women under 40.


To probe the properties of breast cancer cells linked to triple-negative breast cancer, a team from King's College London conducted data analysis using over 6,000 breast cancer samples.


After understanding how the cancer cells escape from cancer drugs, they established the presence of the cancer cell surface marker EGFR along with oncogenic molecules cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK), which are responsible for cell division and proliferation.


Further, they linked cetuximab -- a tumour-selective antibody that targets the EGFR protein expressed in this type of cancer, with a CDK-blocking drug to create a tailored drug for breast cancer.


"We were on the hunt for cancer's vulnerabilities and now we've found out how we can guide our therapies to one of these. We combined these two drugs to create a tailored antibody-drug conjugate for patients with this aggressive cancer," said lead author Professor Sophia Karagiannis, from King's College London.


The researchers noted that as their "antibody-drug conjugate" targets the exact cancer cell, administering a lower inhibitor dose than usual may be possible, and will also be less toxic for the patient. They, however, called for more studies before developing the drug.

Latest News
Aero India 2025: IAF, Army chiefs take sortie in Tejas together Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 04:19 PM
Champions Trophy: Bosch named replacement for Nortje in South Africa's squad Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 04:11 PM
Namibia's founding President Sam Nujoma dies at 95 Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 04:06 PM
Tears of joy as five Thai hostages return home after a year in Hamas captivity Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 03:48 PM
ED, Economic intelligence bureau launch probe into CSR fund scam in Kerala Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 03:43 PM
WPL 2025: All-rounder Deepti Sharma to lead UP Warriorz Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 02:54 PM
Piyush Goyal slams states seeking Central funds on basis of tax contribution Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 01:55 PM
2nd ODI: Kohli returns, Varun handed ODI debut as England elect to bat against India Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 01:42 PM
Watchdog to expand English corporate disclosure info for foreign investors Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 01:15 PM
Market Outlook: Delhi polls' outcome, Q3 earnings, inflation data set to drive D-Street action Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 01:13 PM
3 killed, 10 injured as truck carrying pilgrims to Maha Kumbh collides with SUV in MP Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 01:08 PM
12 Maoists killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 12:59 PM
UAE condemns Netanyahu's remarks on Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 12:55 PM
KL Rahul left surprised by huge crowd at Barabati Stadium for India's practice session Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 12:53 PM
23 Indian startups raise over $138 million in funding this week Sun, Feb 09, 2025, 12:45 PM