A team of researchers from Trinity College Dublin working in partnership with the University of Sienna have discovered a new drug which can kill leukaemia cells.
The scientists say the new drug called pyrrolo-1.5-benzoxazepine-15 (PBOX-15) can even kill cells in patients with who have shown resistance to previous therapies.
According to tests PBOX-15 is specifically active in cancerous cells and it works by interfering with the structure or architecture of the cancer cell. It activates key targets in leukaemia cells that triggers the cells to die.
Prof Mark Lawler, School of Medicine, TCD and Lead Investigator on the study said the discovery is the result of a “collaborative approach, involving researchers across the different disciplines of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular medicine at TCD, together with our colleagues in Sienna and Belfast”.
The research is published today in the international journal, Cancer Research.
