New anti-cancer drug could cure prostate and HPV-related cancers

A wonder drug could soon be the cure to a common range of cancers and has been fast-tracked for development, with scientists hoping it will fight prostate and HPV-related cancers.

Melbourne cancer researchers have teamed up with the CSIRO to fast-track the development of a cancer-busting wonder drug.

Melbourne cancer researchers have teamed up with the CSIRO to fast-track the development of a wonder drug that could target a range of common cancers in a new way.

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre scientists uncovered a key way that cancer hijacks the body’s innate defence system that suppresses cancer cells.

This mechanism occurs in prostate cancer and also those caused by the human papilloma virus, such as cervical, head and neck cancers.

The hospital and national science agency have established a start-up company called Vittail with the aim of getting a drug ready for clinical trials — through partnering with a pharmaceutical company — in three years.

Their goal is to create the first therapy for HPV-related cancers, and give the third of men with advanced prostate cancer an effective treatment.

“If we are successful this is going to be a paradigm shift,” said lead researcher Professor Ygal Haupt.

“The numbers of prostate cancer are significant, and HPV accounts for 5 per cent of all cancers, which is a huge number of people. There is currently no drug for them.”

This cancer mechanism is found in cancers caused by the human papilloma virus.

Professor Haupt, who is head of Peter Mac’s tumour suppression laboratory, said their potential treatment was based on their discovery that the protein E6AP was crucial for a basic cell function: maintaining the equilibrium of proteins in cells.

“E6AP marks the proteins that will be destroyed by adding a flag to them,” Prof Haupt said.

“This keeps the balance right. If you have too many or too few proteins, problems start and diseases develop.”

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In HPV, for example, the virus hijacks the E6AP protein and orders it to destroy the body’s defence system called the tumour suppressors. This allows the cancer to develop and expand unchecked.

This protein also controls tumour suppression in prostate cancer.

“We don’t believe you can effectively target viruses — they are too fast and too smart,” Prof Haupt said.

“Our different approach is to target the virus’s need for proliferation.

“Our goal is to develop a drug that will target E6AP and therefore protect the tumour suppressors, and give our body the ability to fight those ­cancers.

“It would protect the normal functioning of our bodies.”

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