The new class of drugs that target the enzyme Aurora B could be an alternative to current treatments as they seem to be less toxic and are still effective at killing cancer cells. Early clinical trials of the Aurora-B drug’s toxicity have been encouraging, with no major adverse effects to patients being reported.
“A lot of current cancer drugs, while effective, are also toxic; by contrast, the toxic effects of Aurora inhibitors have been relatively mild and so could provide a revolutionary new way to treat cancer in the future,” said Dr Stephen Taylor, who is leading the research at the University of Manchester.
The University of Manchester team has been working on the Aurora B inhibitor in collaboration with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
Aurora B is a chemical that blocks, or inhibits, and its catalytic actions have proven very effective at killing cancer cells in cultures grown in the laboratory.
“The first compounds were designed to inhibit a related enzyme called Aurora A,” said Dr Stephen Taylor. “But our research has shown that inhibiting Aurora B is a far more successful method of killing cancer cells and we have been strongly encouraged by these latest results.”
The research will be of interest to scientists around the world looking at Aurora inhibitors as there are currently more than 10 companies pursuing Aurora cancer programs.
The scientists said that Aurora B was highly attractive but Aurora A may still have some merits as a potential therapy.