Compound eradicates brain tumour in model
Cambridge, MA-based Curis has demonstrated that treatment with a small molecule inhibitor of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, designated HhAntag, successfully halted tumour growth and, at high doses, eliminated the tumour in a model of medulloblastoma, the most common form of childhood brain cancer.
Cambridge, MA-based Curis has demonstrated that treatment with a small molecule inhibitor of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, designated HhAntag, successfully halted tumour growth and, at high doses, eliminated the tumour in a model of medulloblastoma, the most common form of childhood brain cancer.
The HhAntag compound was discovered by Curis during the course of its research on the Hedgehog signaling pathway, a major regulatory mechanism used by the body to control tissue growth and regeneration.
A report, entitled 'Suppression of the Shh Pathway Using a Small Molecule Inhibitor Eliminates Medulloblastoma in Ptc1+/-p53-/- Mice,' is authored by researchers from the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and Curis. The study utilised a novel preclinical model of medulloblastoma that had been developed as a tool to study the disease, as well as a means to test potential therapeutic compounds.
Dr Thomas Curran, the chairman of the department of developmental neurobiology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the senior author on the report, commented: 'This study exemplifies the synergy of public-private partnerships. Curis recognised the opportunity to test one of their drug candidate compounds in a unique preclinical model generated in an academic laboratory. This proof-of-principle study offers an opportunity to apply the latest advances in biotechnology to the welfare of an underserved group. However, the results have important implications for all adult cancers that arise as a consequence of defects in the Hedgehog pathway.'
Dr Lee Rubin, Curis' senior vice president and chief scientific officer, said: 'Medulloblastoma is a rare but difficult to treat brain cancer. Current therapies that involve surgery, chemotherapy, and high doses of radiation unfortunately are associated with long-term side effects. That is why this current study is encouraging. We believe that inhibitors of the Hedgehog pathway, such as HhAntag, may eventually form the basis for a safer, more effective treatment regime for those afflicted with this terrible cancer.'