Wave of new generation of cancer treatment drugs

Medical researchers in the US are optimistic about the new generation of cancer-based drugs that are primarily composed of heat shock protein inhibitors HSP-90 capable of neutralizing the drug resistance of cancer tumors. This promising drug is expected to hit the market in a few years.

At the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held in Chicago earlier this month, experts said the next breakthrough of the cancer drug would be a pill that stimulates cancer cells. letter self-destruct or ' lock ' the cancer's self-replicating and metastatic ability. It could also be a vaccine that stimulates the immune system to attack tumors. These drugs are currently in the development phase with initial positive results.

HSP-90 protein structure.
(Photo: chemsoc.org)

George Demetri from Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston says he and his colleagues are intrigued by the new generation of drugs targeting the defense mechanisms of cancer cells called thermal shock proteins 90 HSP-90). It is known that HSP-90 works when cells are exposed to heat or anticancer drugs contain toxins. Scientists say that once HSP-90 is disabled, cancer cells cannot do anything but " commit suicide ".

HSP-90 is described as a " bodyguard " that covers ingredients that help malignant cells grow and spread . In the presence of HSP-90, tumors are often ' peaceful ' against the onset of therapy. Currently, because cancer cells can develop resistance to drugs, many companies are working on developing HSP-90 inhibitors to enhance cancer-specific drugs. These inhibitors are designed with a wide spectrum of applications for many types of cancer, helping to ensure that tumors are not resistant to specific drugs.

Kosan Biosciences is a leader in the study of HSP-90 inhibitors. At the ASCO conference, Kosan announced that it is testing two major Tanespimycin and Alvespimycin drugs. In it, Tanespimycin was tested against myeloma, in combination with Velcade cancer treatment. Kosan CEO Dr. Robert Johnson said the test results with 56 early-stage cancer patients showed that the drug was sufficient to fight cancer. Kosan is continuing to test the effectiveness of Tanespimycin to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) next year. Tanespimycin may be the first HSP-90 inhibitor to be marketed.

In fact, this is not the first HSP-90 inhibitor drug developed. The US National Cancer Research Institute has spent dozens of years experimenting with a similar drug called 17-AAG but less progressive because inhibitors are not easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Infinity pharmaceutical company in Massachusetts has developed IPI-504, a water-soluble form of 17-AAG. IPI-504 overcomes the drug resistance of Novartis Gleevec, which is considered the most effective therapy for stomach cancer. Initial testing of IPI-504 on Gleevec-resistant patients showed that IPI-504 helped reduce tumor activity, causing the disease to stop progressing in most patients, while less side effects.

ĐNT