Selective targeting of CDK4 to improve breast and prostate cancer treatment
Background
Breast and prostate cancer are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women and men, respectively. Collectively, these cancers kill over 6500 Australians each year.
Drugs called CDK4/6 inhibitors are widely used to treat women with advanced/metastatic breast cancer. Although the approval of these drugs has improved patient outcomes, their efficacy is limited by toxicity that causes harmful side-effects in many patients. Moreover, the toxicity of CDK4/6 inhibitors has resulted in a series of failed clinical trials in prostate cancer, despite promising antitumour responses observed in some patients.
A less toxic CDK inhibitor that could be used at higher doses has the potential to transform treatment of these common cancers.
About the Project
Professor Selth and his team have developed a new CDK inhibitor, called AU2-94. Preliminary evidence suggests that AU2-94 effectively blocks growth of breast and prostate cancer cells without causing significant toxicity. This project will comprehensively test the efficacy and safety of AU2-94, including comparing it to currently approved CDK4/6 inhibitors.
Impact
If this project is successful, we expect that AU2-94 could be tested in clinical trials. The ultimate goal is to deliver a new treatment that can improve survival outcomes and quality of life for breast and prostate cancer patients