register

News & Trends - Pharmaceuticals

World-first skin cancer therapy to benefit patients with unmet need

Health Industry Hub | November 23, 2020 |

Pharma News: A novel therapy could help prevent organ transplant recipients from developing harmful skin cancers.

The world-first treatment being developed at The University of Queensland (UQ) is the only drug of its type that could prevent the incidence of skin cancers for transplant patients.

UQ’s commercialisation company UniQuest is seeking potential partners or investors to take this promising drug candidate through preclinical development, into clinical trials and ultimately to the market.

Lead researcher from UQ’s Diamantina Institute Dr James Wells said the treatment was shown in models to clear skin tumours that grow as a consequence of taking tacrolimus – a drug that transplant patients must take to suppress their immune systems to avoid organ rejection.

“It’s first-in-class, meaning there is no other drug that has been developed targeting the same mechanism,” Dr Wells said.

You may also like Lilly’s drug in Melbourne-led world-first clinical trial in diabetes

Organ transplant recipients are 100 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) than the general population, with patients developing multiple SCC’s.

The current treatment includes invasive surgery or drugs with harmful side effects.

“This new potential therapy works by enabling the patient’s immune system to fight the skin cancer locally, without impacting the most commonly prescribed drug, tacrolimus, and its role in preventing rejection of transplanted organs,” Dr Wells said.

“Our goal is to provide the best possible outcome for the patient, which is the prevention of skin cancers while on immune-suppressing drugs.

“Such an outcome has the potential to be transformative for organ transplant patients trapped by the longterm need for immunosuppression resulting in the development of multiple skin cancers that require surgery and could be lethal.”

Cancer is the leading cause of death for kidney transplant recipients in Australia, not transplant failure or rejection.

The scientists discovered a molecule that, when applied to the skin, specifically activates cancer clearing mechanisms at the site of the skin cancer, allowing the patient’s immune system to quickly eliminate the skin cancer without the need for invasive surgery.

“Skin cancers are often extremely aggressive in organ transplant patients with a high risk of spreading quickly and recurring post-treatment,” he said.

“Some patients go into hospital every month and need to have multiple tumours cut out of their skin.”

Dr Wells said that using this molecule would help the patient’s immune system clear up the cells damaged from UV rays and prevent skin cancers from growing.

The molecule was discovered by the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI), a business unit of UQ’s commercialisation company UniQuest.

Working with Dr Wells and his team, QEDDI identified and have further developed the molecule and demonstrated that it can reduce and eliminate cancers.

UniQuest Executive Director of Intellectual Property Commercialisation Dr Mark Ashton said QEDDI was uniquely placed to drive the drug discovery and development activities supporting Dr Well’s successful NHMRC Develoment Grant application.

“Our fully integrated small molecule drug discovery facility is based at UQ’s St Lucia campus, so researchers can easily collaborate with QEDDI’s industry-experienced team to progress their potential new therapies towards the clinic,” Dr Ashton said.

Dr Wells’ research is one of four UQ projects awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant for 2021.

UniQuest have filed a provisional patent on the molecule.


News & Trends - Biotechnology

Victoria prioritises health technologies and medical research in economic growth statement

Victoria prioritises health technologies and medical research in economic growth statement

Health Industry Hub | December 12, 2024 |

AusBiotech and BioMelbourne Network have welcomed the Victorian Government’s release of its Economic Growth Statement, which highlights ‘Health Technologies and […]

More


News & Trends - MedTech & Diagnostics

Senator Ruston condemns Labor: Government under fire for failing patients

Senator Ruston condemns Labor: Government under fire for failing patients

Health Industry Hub | December 12, 2024 |

The NSW Labor and Albanese Governments are facing intense backlash as their failure to address the healthcare crisis continues to […]

More


News & Trends - MedTech & Diagnostics

Prescribed List reforms: Cost savings overshadowed by delays, errors and growing inefficiency

Prescribed List reforms overshadowed by delays, errors and growing inefficiency

Health Industry Hub | December 12, 2024 |

The release of the interim evaluation report of the Prescribed List (PL) reforms has revealed both unexpected delays in application […]

More


News & Trends - Pharmaceuticals

Health groups demand urgent action on critical palliative care medicine shortages

Health groups demand urgent action on critical palliative care medicine shortages

Health Industry Hub | December 12, 2024 |

An alliance of seven health organisations* has unveiled an 11-point plan to combat ongoing shortages of essential pain relief medicines, […]

More


This content is copyright protected. Please subscribe to gain access.