A UofA spinoff company, Pacylex Pharmaceuticals, has developed a pill called Zelenirstat that stops cancer cells from growing while simultaneously suffocating tumours. They have posed it as an alternative to chemotherapy. Users would take the pill orally each day with minimal side effects.
Funding may be a challenge for the new drug, due to each cancer type requiring $20 million to move on to Phase 2 trials.
If the drug is successful, Zelenirstat could revolutionize cancer treatment. Early trials have showed promising results with some users experiencing a 30 per cent tumour reduction after only a few weeks of use. The drug has been fast-tracked by the U.S. FDA, hopefully speeding up its availability.
Zelenirstat is the first N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor which is a new type of drugs that goes after a critical weakness in cancer cells. It is most effective against blood cancers such as lymphoma and leaukemia.
