Scientists at Umeå University in Sweden and partner institutions have developed an experimental drug that could slow the growth of aggressive prostate cancer and stop it from spreading, offering hope for patients with advanced forms of the disease.
The findings, published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, suggest the treatment could provide a new way to combat metastatic prostate cancer, which is responsible for most prostate cancer-related deaths.
Professor Maréne Landström of the Department of Medical Biosciences at Umeå University said the research team had identified the biological mechanisms that drive tumour growth, invasiveness and metastasis.
“The new drug has been developed to prevent metastasis, and we are very pleased and proud that we have been able to identify the mechanisms that drive cancer cell growth, invasiveness, and metastatic spread,” Landström said.
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men. While many cases progress slowly, some develop into aggressive disease that spreads to other parts of the body, particularly the lymph nodes and bones.
To target these aggressive cancers, researchers developed a fully human antibody made entirely from human proteins, making it a promising candidate for future therapeutic use.
Preclinical tests showed the antibody successfully halted tumour growth and prevented the spread of an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Researchers said the treatment works through a newly identified biological pathway, which could also help reduce side effects.
Despite the encouraging results, Landström stressed that the treatment is still in the early stages of development.
“This is a promising step forward, but several important stages remain before the treatment can benefit patients,” she said.
“We still need to conduct additional safety studies, and the treatment must be approved by regulatory authorities in Europe or the United States.”
She added that the long-term goal is to improve survival rates and quality of life for men living with advanced prostate cancer.
Researchers also plan to investigate whether the same antibody-based approach could be effective against other solid tumours.
“The next step is to investigate whether this treatment can also be used against other types of solid tumors,” Landström said.
“We hope that our work will ultimately contribute to the development of a new cancer drug that can benefit patients.”
The study involved scientists from the SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development Platform, while the Umeå Biotech Incubator supported the project. Funding for the treatment’s development and testing was provided by MetaCurUm Biotech AB.
