Roche’s cholesterol-lowering drug candidate shows promise in fighting prostate cancer
pharmafile | April 15, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development | RO 48-9071, Roche, cholesterol, drug, missouri, oncology, university
Researchers from the University of Missouri have found that a compound developed by Roche Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of high cholesterol can not only halt the progression of prostate cancer, but can kill cancerous cells too.
RO 48-8071 was found to reduce prostate cancer cell growth in human cells, while subsequent studies also found that the compound caused cancer cells death. Led by tumour angiogenesis professor, Salman Hyder, the team used this novel approach to try and fight prostate cancer cells.
Hyder explains: “Cholesterol is a molecule found in animal cells that serves as a structural component of cell membranes. When tumour cells grow, they synthesise more cholesterol. Often, cancer patients are treated with toxic chemotherapies; however, in our study, we focused on reducing the production of cholesterol in cancer cells, which could kill cancer cells and reduce the need for toxic chemotherapy.
“Although tumour cells may initially respond to these therapies, most eventually develop resistance that causes prostate cancer cells to grow and spread. Cholesterol also can contribute to the development of anti-hormone resistance because cholesterol is converted into hormones in tumour cells; therefore, these cholesterol-forming pathways are attractive therapeutic targets for the treatment of prostate cancer.”
The researchers believe that, when used in combination with commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs, RO 48-8071 could represent a new therapeutic approach in the fight against cancer.
Sean Murray
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