Marshall Edwards’s tiphendiol shows potent activity against biliary cancers

Triphendiol also potently sensitizes pancreatic and bile duct cancer cell lines and xenograft tumors to the standard of care drug, gemcitabine. This study assessed the potential of triphendiol as a treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma using three representative cell lines. Triphendiol-induced apoptosis (cell death) in all cell lines and pre-treatment with triphendiol increased gemcitabine-dependent apoptosis. Animal model studies showed that triphendiol in combination with gemcitabine inhibits tumor growth more effectively than each drug alone.

Wasif Saif, associate professor and director, Gastrointestinal Cancers Program, the Yale School of Medicine, said: “With a lack of data from randomized Phase III studies, there is no current evidence-based treatment recommendation for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer that have failed first-line gemcitabine. The ability of triphendiol to sensitize pancreatic cancer tumors to gemcitabine in animal studies justifies the continued development of triphendiol as a pancreatic cancer therapy, and would provide a welcome second-line therapeutic contingency for late stage gemcitabine refractory pancreatic cancer patients.”