World-first blood cancer clinical trials begin at Peter Mac
10 September 2013
Peter Mac has begun world-first clinical trials of a new first-in-class compound to treat blood cancers. The clinical trials represent a major shift in molecular approaches to treating cancer, after Peter Mac laboratory researchers proved a routine cellular process, ribosome biogenesis, provides a powerful target for new therapies.
The research, which was supported by donations to Peter Mac, was published in scientific journal Cancer Cell. It showed that cancer cells are far more dependent on their ability to make ribosomes than normal cells and, therefore, much more vulnerable if ribosomes come under attack. By blocking the enzyme responsible for producing the major ribosomal components, the researchers could kill cancer cells in pre-clinical models, while sparing normal, healthy cells.
This important new discovery would not have been possible without the help of generous donors, who provided our researchers with the specialised equipment and resources needed to undertake this exciting research.
Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trials to establish the safety profile of this approach have now commenced at Peter Mac in patients with blood cancers. Help make more research like this possible.
