Taiwan research team develops novel cancer drug

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Researchers in Taiwan have developed a new targeted therapy drug that preclinical trials suggest could inhibit the growth of tumors in nearly 30 percent of cancer patients.

Tests conducted on mice by a team at the Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research at the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) showed reductions in tumor size within 10 days of using the new drug, with tumor regression continuing even a month after the use of the targeted therapy drug ended.

The drug, called DBPR728, can be taken orally to promote the degradation of MYC oncoproteins within tumors, according to researchers Chi Ya-Hui (紀雅惠), Yeh Teng-Kuang (葉燈光), Chen Chiung-Tong (陳炯東) and Chang Chun-Ping Chang (張竣評).

Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a leading journal published by the American Association for Cancer Research, published the team's research in June.

According to the team's findings, DBPR728 "effectively suppressed glycolysis, leading to regression of xenograft tumors with MYC gene amplification or overexpression."

"[DBPR728] cuts off the nutrient supply essential for cancer growth" and has shown positive results in various cancer scenarios "including small cell lung cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, liver cancer and medulloblastoma."

According to Chi, this is the first time a targeted therapy drug has been developed for MYC oncogene cancers, which affect about 28 percent of cancer patients.

Speaking at a press conference in Taipei on Monday, Hsieh Hsing-pang (謝興邦), director of NHRI's Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, said the novel drug represents a "new dawn" in treating MYC oncogene cancers.

The team has already obtained domestic patents for the new drug and is currently seeking global patents, Chi said.

"After completing preclinical toxicology tests followed by clinical trials, [the new drug] is expected to become an additional therapeutic tool for precision cancer targeting treatments," Chi added.