A new cancer drug may halt tumor growth by blocking the division of cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells alone, according to early tests in animals.Researchers say if further studies confirm these results in humans, the experimental cancer drug may be a new way to offer highly targeted cancer treatment with few side effects.The study suggests that the drug, known as ONO1910, works by zeroing in on a molecule called PLK1 that is known to play a critical role in the spread of cancer. The molecule drives normal cell division. High levels of it have been found in human cancer tumors and have been associated with more aggressive and deadly cancers.Because cell growth regulation is awry in a cancer cell, a reasonable approach to cancer therapy is to develop drugs that block the function of a critical molecule that is required by a tumor cell to complete cell division, says researcher E. Premkumar Reddy, PhD, of the Temple University School of Medicine, in a news release.
