Myriad Genetics Discovers New Approach to Killing Prostate Cancer Cells

Myriad Genetics, Inc. announced it has discovered a novel drug target for the treatment of prostate cancer and a broad range of other cancers, and has initiated lead optimization with a series of compounds that selectively kill cancer cells.

The target of MPI-176716 is a protein that has not been explored previously for drug development, and represents a totally new approach to killing cancer cells, according to Myriad

Myriad said its researchers found that MPI-176716 induces apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in several cancers, including prostate cancer cells and T cell lymphomas.

In a series of experiments designed to test the selective ability of the compound to kill cancer cells, Myriad researchers added MPI-176716 to cell lines that are not responsive to current chemotherapy drugs.

"Tthe percentage of cells killed increased in a dose-dependent manner, reaching 98% of prostate cancer cells and 99% of T cell lymphoma cells that were forced into apoptosis," a company spokesperson said.

Other Sources: Myriad Genetics