Cancer Genes: New Compound Fights Cancer and Leukemia In Animals

First Posted: Oct 13, 2015 06:52 AM EDT
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The presence of cancer in animals was significantly reduced after a newly discovered compound was used as a treatment in an experiment conducted by a team of researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The newly formulated compound prevented various types of cancers such as Ewing sarcoma, which is a rare type of bone cancer, prostate cancer and some forms of leukemia from developing and spreading in animals, Aykut Uren MD, who led the study, revealed in a news release.

The compound known as YK-4-279 is the first drug used to target chromosomal translocations (a chromosome abnormality) found in Ewing sarcoma, prostate cancer and in some forms of leukemia. Translocations occur when two normal genes break off from a chromosome and fuse together in a new location. This fusion produces new genes that manufacture proteins, which then push cancer cells to become more aggressive and spread, according to Uren.

One of those cancer-related proteins is known as EWS-FLI1. In the study, the researchers found that the new compound YK-4-279 is effective in controlling the cancer promoting functions of EWS-FLI1.

"EWS-FLI1 is already known to drive a rare but deadly bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma, which occurs predominantly in children, teens and young adults. It also appears to drive cancer cell growth in some prostate cancers," Uren said.

In their experiment, mice with EWS-FLI1-driven leukemia were given injections of YK-4-279 five days per week for two weeks. By the end of the first two weeks, the mice that were treated with YK-4-279 had lower number of leukemia cells compared to untreated mice. At the end of two weeks the treated mice were almost normal in many aspects while the untreated mice had many cancerous cells and actually died three weeks later, according to the researchers. The mice that received two weeks of YK-4-279 lived almost three times as long.

"The fact that treated mice did not get sick from the YK-4-279 gives us an early indication that it might be safe to use in humans, but that is a question that can't be answered until we conduct clinical trials," Uren said.

 "We are looking for ways that would allow us to administer more of it, or even to formulate a pill."

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