THE ROYAL COLLEGE of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI) have announced a major collaboration that will see them attempt to find new cancer treatments.
The college has joined with Almac Discovery, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and identifying innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer to gain new understanding of how to target tumour cells that are resistant to cancer therapies and cause cancer to spread to other parts of the body.
The project will explore whether a drug, based on initial research by RCSI’s Professor Tracy Robson and developed by Almac Discovery, which is currently undergoing a trial, can be used to treat the tumours.
The trial is likely to be expanded to be used in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer ranks among the top ten diagnosed and top five deadliest cancers in most countries. Around 80% of patients present with an advanced version of the disease, therefore it is critical that clinicians are provided with as many treatment options as possible which can target this disease, both as a monotherapy and in combination with existing therapies.
The research team at RCSI, led by Professor Robson, Head of Molecular & Cellular Therapeutics, will investigate a certain type of cell that is present in all tumours, known as cancer stem cells. These cancer stem cells are resistant to both radiotherapy or chemotherapy and can facilitate the spread of cancer around the body.
The research will focus on how a protein called FKBPL, which occurs naturally in the body, and has a unique ability to target cancer stem cells, can transform them into more ‘normal’ tumour cells. These cells can then be more easily killed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, therefore reducing the risk of cancer recurrence in the patient.
Professor Robson said:
“Cancer stem cells are a major barrier to successful radiotherapy and chemotherapy and can result in failure of these treatments.
“Our initial data demonstrates that ALM201 can transform these cells so they are no longer resistant to these therapies. This is a promising development and will complement the anti-angiogenic activity already demonstrated for this drug.”
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