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Myriad cancer therapies are developing, giving hope to millions across the world, and in the latest, a universal or ‘wonder drug’ against all cancers may be on cards soon. British scientists involved in the experiment claim that the breast cancer wonder drug could prove to be potent for all types of cancers.

One of the benefits of this therapy is that side effects associated with cancers like nausea and fatigue could almost be eliminated, according to the team of scientists at Newcastle University.

This experiment is based on a family of cancer drugs by the name PARP inhibitors, which affect the way tumor cells repair themselves. Usually, these inhibitors or rogue genes target hereditary breast, pancreatic as well ovarian cancers, according to the scientists.

This therapy, while targeting cancer cells, leaves other cells unharmed, implying that side effects are substantially less. The current forms of treatment — chemotherapy or radiotherapy —take a toll on healthy cells, causing a good deal of side effects.

According to the scientists, the drugs exploit the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of hereditary types of breast cancer owing to a flaw in a gene called BRCA1, which limits the cells ability to repair damage of DNA.

Healthy cells are able to patch up damage in two ways, which permits them to breed, grow and spread. However, cells in BRCA tumors have only one way of doing it.

PARP inhibitors clog this pathway, preventing tumor cells from multiplying and finally leads to death of the cells.

A few types breast, ovarian and prostate tumors have flawed BRCA genes but are a small proportion of all cancers.

The research would allow the drugs to be used on tumors which do not have this genetic flaw, by ‘recreating’ the defect, claim the scientists.

An experiment performed on mice with lung tumors, saw that blocking a molecule by the name Cdk1 stopped DNA repair. When rats were administered a PARP inhibitor, it shrunk their cancer.

A scientist involved in the experiment said, “Blocking Cdk1 compromises DNA repair in cancer cells, prompting them to be sensitive to PARP inhibitors. We also proved that this therapy targeted only cancer cells.”

The scientist, who was upbeat on the invention, said, “We now need to develop a drug that is capable of blocking Cdk1. This will let more patients benefit from the treatment with PARP inhibitors.” 

“When ready, this therapy could be widely applicable. The fact that the defect that makes cells vulnerable to PARP inhibitors can be recreated in lung cancer is good news. But still, it is too early to tell exactly whether it is a breakthrough,” he added.

One question that arises is how soon will it be available as tests on humans are yet to be done? We’ll be lucky if human trials are completed, say, in a couple of years.

Also, it is very early to say how effective the ‘wonder drug’ will be on treating cancers on humans as the tests have been conducted on rodents and the results on rats and human beings could be substantially different.