A smart drug that prevents cancer cells from hiding from treatment has been shown to shrink tumors by at least 30% in the six most common types of cancer. Early-stage clinical trial results have revealed the drug’s promise.
elchi reports that researchers in Oxford have developed a new drug to prevent cancer cells from hiding from the immune system. This drug allows the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells.
In trials covering the UK, France, Spain, and Australia, 83 patients with cervical, bladder, liver, bowel, lung, and head and neck cancer were given the experimental drug “GRWD5769” alongside the immunotherapy drug “cemiplimab”.
The study, led by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, England, found that tumors shrank in 26 patients. In 15 of these patients, a reduction in tumor size of at least 30% was recorded. It was stated that all patients participating in the study had previously failed to respond to treatments and most had no other treatment options left. It was reported that immunotherapy treatment had either never worked or had lost its effectiveness in these patients.
The smart drug developed removes the “invisibility shield” of tumor cells, making them susceptible to the cells of the immune system that fight infection and disease. In this way, the immunotherapy drug was able to target and destroy cancer cells.
The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s largest cancer conference held in Chicago.
The drug, called GRWD5769, was found to shrink tumors in all six types of cancer included in the trial. The drug halted disease progression for at least six months in 18% of cervical cancer patients, 32% of liver cancer patients, 36% of bladder cancer patients, 38% of head and neck cancer patients, 51% of bowel cancer patients, and 55% of lung cancer patients.
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