SCIENTISTS in Bradford hope to be able to boost the fight against cancer - with a modified version of a drug that is used to battle brain tumours.

University of Bradford and Cancer Research UK scientists, working alongside colleagues in the USA and Finland, have created a new compound that it is hoped will better treat brain tumours and other forms of cancer.

The news came from research published in the international journal, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics - although a Bradford scientist warned it could be some time before the drug is available.

The drug is a revamped version of cancer drug temozolomide, which has long been the first-line treatment for glioblastoma - the most common type of brain tumour in adults.

Cancer Research UK said the new drug - called DP68 - is better than temozolomide at killing cancer cells and that it significantly reduced the regrowth of tumour cells that had become resistant to temozolomide.

The charity said glioblastomas account for more than a quarter of all primary brain tumours, with around 2,500 people diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK.

It led on the development of temozolomide, which marked an important breakthrough in the treatment of glioblastoma. It has become the international standard of care for thousands of patients with this type of cancer. But in many cases the cancer cells become resistant. And, once the disease returns, it is very hard to treat.

Study author Dr Richard Wheelhouse, who is based at the University of Bradford's school of pharmacy, said temozolomide has been in use for about 30 years and has been the only one of its kind.

He continued: "Temozolomide is a widely-used treatment for patients with glioblastoma. But, when resistance to the drug develops, the tumours often grow back more aggressively so it’s crucial to find new ways of outmanoeuvring the cancer cells.

“DP68 could become a vital treatment for glioblastoma patients who’ve developed resistance to the first-line treatment. It’s still early days but, unlike temolozomide that’s only used to treat gliomas, we hope this new version of the drug may benefit patients with other cancer types."

He added: "I am hopeful and excited. But I know there are some big challenges to make it work in an animal or patient."

Dr Wheelhouse continued: "It is a promising discovery - not an immediate breakthrough therapy. We have designed and built a new molecule. It is showing interesting properties.

"But it is a huge step to carry over to animal level, and another huge step to getting activity in a patient.

"We are at the beginning of a three-step process."

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: "It is very encouraging to think that this drug might be helpful for people whose cancer stops responding to treatment. Innovative research like this is crucial to find vital new treatments to improve survival."

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