Four existing drugs have the unintended effect of blocking the growth of cancer cells, according to Université de Montréal study
May 7, 2006 – A Université de Montréal study published today in the June issue of Nature Chemical Biology has identified four drugs with unexpected and previously unknown ability to block the growth of cancer cells. These results arose from work by Professor Stephen Michnick, John Westwick and colleagues to develop a method that study intended and unintended effects of drugs on cell communications networks.
The study entitled Identifying off-target effects and hidden phenotypes of drugs in human cells was conducted with the intention of better understanding the impact of over 100 known drugs on the patterns of cell communications. “We developed a high-throughput screen that monitored the effect of each drug,” explained Professor Michnick. “We found, among other things, that drugs with completely different purposes, from anti-depressants to de-worming agents, shared common patterns of responses in our assays similar to anti-cancer drugs.”
During research and development, drugs are typically tested for their inhibition of a desired therapeutic target. However, when a drug is used clinically, side effects can be caused by unexpected interactions inside cells. These unintended effects may often be responsible for drug failure during clinical trials.
This new screening strategy may now allow researchers to optimize the desired effects of drugs while simultaneously minimizing the undesired effects during the drug discovery process. Additionally, the ability to uncover unexpected but potentially useful drug actions, including inhibiting cell proliferation, could increase the efficiency of the drug discovery process.
About Université de Montréal
Founded in 1878, the Université de Montréal today has 13 faculties and together with its two affiliated schools, HEC Montréal and École Polytechnique, constitutes the largest centre of higher education and research in Québec, the second largest in Canada, and one of the major centres in North America. It brings together 2,400 professors and researchers, accommodates nearly 55,000 students, offers some 650 programs at all academic levels, and awards about 3,000 masters and doctorate diplomas each year.
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