Investigational Drug May Treat Biliary Cancers

• Potential treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma
• Works effectively alone and with chemo
• Urgent need for new treatments

Newswise — Laboratory studies by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers have shown that the investigational drug triphendiol (NV-196) causes cell death in pancreatic and bile duct cancer cell lines, slows tumor growth and sensitizes tumors to chemotherapy treatments.

The findings were presented April 13 by Ewan Tytler, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Section, at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

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Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of Alabama at Birmingham Released: Tue 15-Apr-2008, 10:30 ET
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Investigational Drug May Treat Biliary Cancers
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Medical News Keywords
PANCREATIC CANCER, BILE DUCT CANCER, BILIARY CANCER, GASTROINTESTINAL, TRIPHENDIOL

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Laboratory studies by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers have shown that the investigational drug triphendiol (NV-196) causes cell death in pancreatic and bile duct cancer cell lines, slows tumor growth and sensitizes tumors to chemotherapy treatments.

• Potential treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma
• Works effectively alone and with chemo
• Urgent need for new treatments

Newswise — Laboratory studies by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) researchers have shown that the investigational drug triphendiol (NV-196) causes cell death in pancreatic and bile duct cancer cell lines, slows tumor growth and sensitizes tumors to chemotherapy treatments.

The findings were presented April 13 by Ewan Tytler, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Surgery, Gastrointestinal Section, at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Tytler and his colleagues assessed the potential of triphendiol as a treatment for pancreatic adenocarcinoma using three representative cell lines. Triphendiol induced cell death in all three cell lines and pre-treating the cell lines with triphendiol increased the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Animal model studies showed that triphendiol in combination with chemotherapy inhibited tumor growth more effectively than each drug alone.

“In our laboratory studies, triphendiol is more potent at inducing cell death in pancreatic and bile duct cancer cells compared to the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine alone at up to 10-fold lower concentrations,” Tytler said. “Of course, there is still much work to be done before this could become a treatment protocol for cancer patients but our findings are promising and validate the continued development of triphendiol as a possible pancreatic cancer therapy.”