Can combining two drugs spare patients side effects?
Cancer types:
Breast cancer
Ovarian cancer
Project period:
–
Research institute:
University Hospital Bern
Award amount:
£200,001
Location:
Switzerland
Professor Halazonetis and his team in Switzerland are exploring whether combining another drug with a current cancer treatment could reduce its harmful side effects. They hope that this new drug combination could help thousands more patients worldwide and provide a kinder therapy option.
Why is this research needed?
Breast, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancers are some of the most common cancer types. They are sometimes treated using a type of drug called a PARP inhibitor which can be game-changing. However, patients treated with these drugs may experience harmful side effects.
Professor Halazonetis and his team decided to change this. He had the bright idea that actually combining PARP inhibitors with another type of drug could have the benefit of reducing these side effects. This would improve the quality of life for patients and give more treatment options to people worldwide.
Throughout my career my goal has been to find better cures for cancer. I am delighted to be a Curestarter.
What is the science behind this project?
Professor Halazonetis and his colleague Dr. Giacomo Rossetti have some evidence that combining PARP inhibitors with another drug could lessen the side effects yet maintain the cancer-killing effect. Thanks to Curestarter funding they can now explore the mechanisms involved in this to see how to make the most of this combination.
Using cancer cells grown in the lab, the researchers will investigate in detail how these other drugs, called PARG inhibitors, change the function of PARP inhibitors in different types of cancer cells. They will also explore how blocking PARG changes the function of PARP protein and whether this has consequences to the ability of cancer cells to undergo repairs of DNA damage that they incur while replicating their DNA.
This exciting research will uncover the specific drug combinations that work best to kill cancer cells whilst limiting harm to patients.
What difference could this project make to patients in the future?
A type of drug called a PARP inhibitor has already saved thousands of lives. Curestarer Fiona has been given hope for the future thanks to olaparib which is a type of PARP inhibitor. However, drugs like this sometimes give patients nasty side effects so researchers are looking for kinder options.
By discovering the best way to combine PARP inhibitors with another drug, this research could find a way to stop these side effects. This would improve patient’s well-being during cancer treatment and help thousands more breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer patients worldwide.
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