Developing drugs that can starve prostate cancer cells

The University of Sydney 2015–2017

Associate Professor Jeff Holst and his team have been working on a new type of anti-cancer drug that can ‘starve’ prostate cancer cells and stop their growth. They have identified mechanisms that tumour cells use to take up nutrients and developed compounds that block this process. Their findings could lead to a treatment for advanced prostate cancer and potentially, other types of cancer

Background

Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed non-skin cancer in Australia, with over 17,000 new cases every year. It is also the second highest cause of cancer-related death in Australian men and death rates from prostate cancer are projected to increase as our population continues to age. Prostate cancer can often be successfully treated with current medical interventions if detected early. However, if the cancer advances and stops responding to hormone therapy, current treatments are no longer effective. This is why developing a new anti-cancer drug that can stop the growth of prostate tumours is critical.

The research

Cancer cells require a constant supply of nutrients – if that supply can be cut off with the help of medication, there is potential to slow down the disease.

Associate Professor Holst and his team have been developing compounds that can effectively ‘starve’ prostate cancer cells by preventing their ability to take up nutrients.
The researchers have discovered that prostate cancer cells use a particular type of nutrient pump. By blocking this pump with certain compounds, it is possible to stop the cancer cells from growing.
The team has discovered new compounds that can block these nutrient pumps in prostate cancer cells in the lab and therefore prevent the growth of prostate cancer.

The impact

A new anti-cancer drug of this type for treating advanced prostate cancer would have a major impact on the thousands of men diagnosed every year in Australia. It has the potential to prevent deaths from advanced-stage prostate cancer that has stopped responding to hormone therapy.

In an exciting development, the team has discovered that their findings on how prostate cancer cells feed on nutrients can potentially be extended to breast cancer and endometrial cancer. This means it could be possible to develop similar drugs for multiple cancers, benefitting even more people.

The research team plan to continue developing these compounds in order to improve them so they can eventually be used to treat patients.