Russian scientists developed a cancer drug that suppresses both tumor and metastases

Scientists from Novosibirsk have completed preclinical trials of a domestic drug for the treatment of cancer.

The clinical testing phase will begin in October and should be completed in the summer of 2022.

The new cancer drug was created by specialists from the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine (ICBFM) and the State Scientific Center for Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”. As the deputy director of the ICBFM for scientific work Vladimir Richter said, the virus of neutralized smallpox vaccine, which is used for vaccinations, was taken as a basis, writes Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

When it enters the body, it finds its target – a cancerous tumor. Moreover, it simultaneously kills the oncogenic cell and is produced in it, and then, together with the blood, begins to spread throughout the body and hit all similar targets.

According to Richter, the new drug is capable of not only effectively suppressing the underlying tumor, but can also look for metastases and suppress them. “That is, theoretically, a single injection of the drug into the body allows for a sufficiently long time to maintain its antitumor activity,” he explained.

Preclinical trials have shown that the new drug is most effective against two types of cancer – brain and breast. After the Ministry of Health issues permission for the first stage of clinical trials, they will be carried out directly on volunteers with cancer. Subject to successful completion of all stages of research, the oncovaccine can be registered and put into production.

Earlier, scientists from Moscow State University developed a targeted drug for liver cancer. It delivers the drug directly to tumor cells, allowing you to reduce the dose of toxic substances administered to cancer patients.