New Cancer Drug AT-406 Effective on Multiple Types of Cancer

Cancer is quickly taking over many people’s lives. The problem with curing cancer is that there are so many different types, and there is not a single cure for all cancers. However, researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a new drug called AT-406 with the potential to treat multiple types of cancer. These cancer clinical trials are helping to treat many forms of the disease, and are pushing us closer to a cure.

AT-406 targets proteins that block normal cell death from occurring. The researchers believe the drug can eventually be used with other treatments or possibly alone. This drug does not harm normal cells while killing the proteins that cause tumor cells.

The drug was made in 2006 at the lab at University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is a product of just one of many clinical trials being conducted in Michigan. Over time the researchers found that this drug destroys inhibitor of apoptosis proteins of IAPs, which block cell death. The drug had little to no effect on normal cells.

The drug is designed to take by mouth, which researchers say will make it easier to administer. This trial is being tested in all solid tumors, and being offered at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center along with Duke University and the Mayo Clinic. AT-406 is still in early stages of testing.

The greatest aspect of this trial is that the drug causes the bad cells to dye and causes no harm to normal cells. The normal cell death process, called apoptosis, is what keeps normal cells in check. When this process is disrupted, cells reproduce uncontrollably, which is hard to cure all forms of cancer. You can check out this cancer blog for more general cancer information.

With the help of this cancer-fighting drug, the hopes are that all cancer will be curable one day. There has also recently been a second trial of this drug opened for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Several more oncology clinical trials are planned.