Two-pronged attack increases potency of new Cancer Drugs

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Australia) researchers have discovered that the treatment of the most deadly form of blood cancer may be improved by combining two recently developed drugs.

The combination of birinapant and p38 inhibitors showed promise in preclinical studies as a new treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Both drugs have been studied alone in clinical trials for treating cancer, offering hope that the combination could be safely given to people with AML who have few other treatment options.
Dr Najoua Lalaoui, Professor John Silke and colleagues from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute made the discovery when searching for ways to enhance birinapant's anti-cancer effects. Their findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Cancer Cell.
Dr Lalaoui said the team was excited to discover that the combination of p38 inhibitors and birinapant had a much stronger anti-cancer effect than either agent alone. "Both p38 inhibitors and birinapant have been safely used in humans in clinical trials," she said. "We are hopeful that the combination of these agents could be an effective anti-cancer treatment.""Birinapant has been used in clinical trials for several types of cancers. Our latest research is part of an exciting next step, fine tuning how birinapant can be used in the clinic to enhance its anti-cancer effects," Professor Silke said. Birinapant is being developed by TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Corporation based in Malvern, US.