HIV Drugs are on the way to treat Cancer

Sep 04: Researchers have found that HIV Drugs have similar effect on Cancerous cell and they have begun testing HIV drugs on range of cancerous cells. This investigation is led by Phillip Dennis and team at US National Cancer Institute.

Antiretroviral drugs used for HIV treatment helps in slowing down the replication process of virus, HIV virus when enter the cell of a person and produce new copies of itself, thus infecting other cells.

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According to the report published in the journal CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH, Nelfinavir was the most effective of the three drugs which slowed the growth of the tumor cell in mice injected with a range of malignant tissue.

Phillip Dennis and the team in US National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, decided to carry the investigation after noticing that the changes in cancerous cell and the effect of virus on cells are similar. Six drugs were approved for the trial and three drugs (Ritonavir Saquinavir, and Nelfinavir) were found to slow down the uncontrolled cell growth. Nelfinavir, which is the most effective drug in the trial, is known to regulate the activity of protein degrading enzymes in the cell.

Ian Hampson from the University of Manchester said that the new findings are not surprising and cancers have many parallels to viral infection. He had previously shown the Iopinavir, another HIV drug is capable of retarding cervical cancer in women. He says that HIV protects themselves against the immune system by switching on priteosome similar to cancer causing mutations which too can activate proteosome. The main function of this enzyme is to degrade unwanted or damaged proteins from the cell. Retroviral drugs inhibit viral assembly by inhibiting the activity of proteosome, which is used by HIV to cleave nascent proteins for final assembly. Therefore the drug which is used to block protein breakdown can theoretically halt both disease.

Dennis says that the concept of screening all drugs for anti-cancer properties has potential and he hopes that a plan to test every drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on tumour cells will go ahead.

"This could be a new approach to finding cancer drugs and cut the time for getting them approved," said Dr. Phillip A. Dennis. "Repositioning drugs that are already FDA-approved could accelerate the development of new cancer therapies."

Finding that even the small dose of Nelfinavir is able to retard the cancer, the phase one trial has been initiated to find the most effective dose with fewer side effects.

In the trial, patients are already receiving higher doses with no apparent problem, Dennis said.

"If nelfinavir is proven effective in fighting cancer, it would, most likely, be used in combination with other cancer drugs," Dennis said.

Many experts believe that if the toxicity level of this drug can be controlled in human, this will lead to great finding in the world of cancer treatment. And the drug which is known to fight one disease will be used to treat another seems exciting if all goes well.