A new drug created at the University of Minnesota may hold the answer to defeating pancreatic cancer, according to results published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The study is based on successful outcomes in a mouse model – results researchers expect to carry over to human patients when the drug potentially begins human trials in 2013. The drug, Minnelide, is a type of injectable chemotherapy designed to target tumor cells. The drug works by inhibiting a heat shock protein, HSP 70, which has been proven to aid the growth of tumor cells. By stopping HSP 70 from working, Minnelide disperses the cells integral to the tumor’s growth and the cancer disintegrates. Read more here.
Study mentioned: Chugh R, et al. A preclinical evaluation of minnelide as a therapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer. Sci Transl Med. 2012 Oct 17;4(156):156ra139. PMID: 23076356
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