New Anticancer Drug Created And Tested In Spain

Two hospitals in Spain are currently testing a new 100% local anticancer drug. Soon, the treatment will be tested on a maximum of 24 patients suffering from tumors with a poor prognosis.

The first stage of the study

The study will be conducted at Gregorio Marañon Hospital and the Clinical University of Navarra. In the first stage, five patients diagnosed with tumors who did not react to other drugs have already started treatment with the new drug (BO-112).

The five patients will be the first in a group of 12 to 24 patients. They will participate in the first phase of clinical trials.

A medicine created in Spain

The drug was developed at the National Center for Oncological Studies (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas or CNIO). At present, its development continues in the above-mentioned centers in Madrid and Pamplona.

The drug comes from Spain, but will not last long before it is taken worldwide. It seems that the first results will be available in June,  when the first conference of the American Oncology Association will take place. In it, the major advances in the field of oncology are presented.

The drug could reach the market in three or four years.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a process that is revolutionizing cancer treatments. Unlike chemotherapy, which directly attacks tumor cells, immunotherapy fights cancer using the body’s own immune system. The latter is not only stimulated, but taught to identify malignant cells.

If properly “trained”, the immune system can fight the tumor. Immunotherapy reduces tumors, but has fewer side effects.  This reduces collateral damage to healthy tissue.

Progress has gradually changed the prognosis of patients with tumors, including those with melanoma or lung cancer.

Types of tumors targeted by the new drug

There are already certain immunotherapeutic drugs on the market, and the one developed in Spain will be added among them.

The new anticancer drug is intended to treat the most common solid tumors (breast, lung, ovarian, liver and endocrine cancer, melanoma, sarcoma, etc.).

To date, only patients with palpable and accessible tumors (including metastatic skin melanoma) have been selected for the studies.

The drug is injected directly into the tumor and guided by an ultrasound to be stored locally. 

Details about the new anticancer drug

For starters, this new anticancer drug will be tested on people who have not reacted positively to existing treatments (apart from immunotherapeutic ones).

First of all, the specialists must prove the effectiveness of the new medicine in the mentioned conditions. Only then can I test it in the early stages of the disease, even before surgery.

The pre-market name, B0-112, indicates that the drug is still in the experimental phase. However, many people have high expectations of him.

It could be the first drug to combine two promising cancer-fighting techniques: immunotherapy and autophagy. The latter is a mechanism for which Japanese researcher Yoshinori Ohsumi received the 2016 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

The Spanish medicine does not necessarily have to act on its own. In the future, it could be combined with other immunotherapies. Currently, clinical trials are being conducted with these options as well.

A public-private partnership

These studies are the perfect example of a public-private partnership. In 2010, the National Center for Oncological Studies (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas or CNIO) granted the drug’s patent to a rising Spanish company. It is a small biotechnology research company, which was set up right after this collaboration: Bioncotech.

The studies were led by Marisol Soengas, president of the Melionom Group at Bioncotech. She stated:

“In general, scientists have very few opportunities to see that the fruits of laboratory research reach the patient directly. This clinical test is the result of the collaboration of several researchers from different fields of study under the leadership of the sensational team within Bioncotech. We at CNIO are very proud of this huge step. ”

The results of the tests performed will be presented at the largest oncology conference in the world. This is the Conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which will be held in Chicago from July 2 to 6.

Representative image source: wikiHow.com