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A team of scientists at City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles, California, has developed a revolutionary cancer drug that targets and destroys solid tumors without harming healthy cells. The drug, code-named AOH1996, is designed to attack a protein called proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which is essential for tumor growth and had previously been considered “undruggable.”
Named in honor of Anna Olivia Healy, a young girl who lost her life to childhood cancer in 2005, AOH1996 has demonstrated success in laboratory tests across 70 different cancer cell lines, including those from breast, prostate, brain, ovarian, cervical, skin, and lung cancers. The drug’s effectiveness while sparing healthy cells marks a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment, offering hope for patients with various types of solid tumors.
The results, published in *Cell Chemical Biology*, show that AOH1996 works by selectively disrupting DNA replication and repair in cancer cells. Dr. Linda Malkas, a molecular oncologist leading the research, explained, “Our cancer-killing pill is like a snowstorm that closes a key airline hub, shutting down all flights in and out only in planes carrying cancer cells.”
A Phase 1 clinical trial is currently underway to evaluate the drug’s safety and efficacy in humans, marking a promising step toward potential new cancer therapies. Study co-author Dr. Long Gu added, “No one has ever targeted PCNA as a therapeutic because it was viewed as ‘undruggable,’ but clearly City of Hope was able to develop an investigational medicine for a challenging protein target.”
