The compound, named DK-AT390HCl, was developed by teams from Krakow University of Technology, an engineering university in southern Poland, the University of Agriculture in Krakow and the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy.
“This is an early version of a functioning therapeutic system,” said Damian Kułaga, a researcher at Krakow University of Technology and leader of the project.
The Krakow University of Technology team has for several years been searching for chemical compounds that could potentially be used to treat colorectal cancer and triple-negative breast cancer. Researchers designed and synthesised more than 200 new molecules, from which DK-AT390HCl was selected.
While the compound initially showed limited activity against triple-negative breast cancer cell lines, further biological studies led by Izabela Siemińska of the University of Agriculture in Krakow found that it had a strong effect on colorectal cancer cells while causing minimal damage to healthy cells.
Kułaga added that existing therapies often cause severe side effects by damaging healthy tissue as well as cancer cells. Some cancer cells can also develop resistance to treatment, he added.
“The newly discovered compound acts selectively on cancer cells without destroying healthy tissue. The results are therefore very promising for further work on a colorectal cancer drug,” Siemińska told Poland's PAP state news agency, cautioning that the path from discovery to an effective patient therapy is long and requires further stages of research, including clinical trials.
Colorectal cancer is among the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with incidence rising, including among people under 50, underscoring the need for safer and more effective treatments.
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Source: PAP