ButSpeak.com
News which Matters.
For decades, the medical community has tirelessly sought groundbreaking treatments against cancer, one of humanity’s most formidable adversaries. A recent phase I clinical trial of PAC-1 offers a glimmer of hope, showcasing its potential to combat various cancer types while revealing only minor side effects.
PAC-1, a drug originally developed by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, induces programmed cell death in cancer cells. Notably, it halted tumor growth in five participants with neuroendocrine cancers, with two of these patients experiencing tumor size reduction. The drug also showed therapeutic activity against sarcomas, according to a report in the British Journal of Cancer.
Dr. Arkadiusz Dudek, the study’s clinical director, emphasized the significance of phase I trials, which primarily assess new drug compounds for side effects or toxicities in humans. Dudek, affiliated with HealthPartners Cancer Center at Regions Hospital and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, highlighted the trial’s importance given its testing on patients with advanced stages of various cancers, including colon cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, adenocarcinoma, and melanoma.
This trial, along with another examining PAC-1’s effectiveness against brain cancer, is a collaborative effort involving Regions Hospital, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Oana Danciu of the University of Illinois Cancer Center explained that the phase I process begins with extremely low drug doses to monitor side effects, gradually increasing the doses over several months if no alarming toxicities arise.
PAC-1’s Journey: From Labs to Clinical Trials
The journey of PAC-1 began in the early 2000s when University of Illinois researchers identified its anti-cancer potential by focusing on the procaspase-3 protein pathway, suppressed in cancer cells. Chemistry professor Paul Hergenrother and his team found that procaspase-3 is prevalent in many cancer cells compared to healthy cells, making it a prime target for anti-cancer strategies. Preliminary animal trials, particularly with pet dogs suffering from spontaneous lymphomas and other cancers, indicated PAC-1’s potential benefits. These successes eventually led to human trials, significantly supported by an anonymous angel investor and Vanquish Oncology, a biotechnology company founded by Hergenrother.
Future of PAC-1 in Cancer Treatment
Clinicians are actively seeking additional funds for phase II clinical trials, aiming to focus on a larger, healthier patient pool with closely matching cancer profiles. Dr. Dudek stated, “Our strategy is to figure out which tumor type will be the most sensitive and pursue that.” He expressed optimism over PAC-1’s promising results with neuroendocrine tumors, a type with limited drug treatment options. Insights are also anticipated from a phase I clinical trial examining PAC-1’s potential to treat glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain cancer variant. Prior research highlighted PAC-1’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, a crucial trait for any brain cancer remedy.
If further trials confirm PAC-1’s efficacy against specific cancer types, leading to its approval, it could streamline and reduce costs for testing against other cancer forms. An approved drug might also be available for “off-label use” by medical professionals who believe their patients could benefit from its inclusion in their cancer-treatment protocols. However, the journey from clinical trials to an approved cancer drug is complex and lengthy. Yet, with the promise PAC-1 has shown so far, there is a beacon of hope in the fight against cancer.
The relentless pursuit of effective cancer treatments continues globally. PAC-1’s recent phase I clinical trial success stories underscore the potential breakthroughs on the horizon. As the world waits with bated breath, this drug may yet become a cornerstone in transforming the narrative of cancer treatment.
