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Stowers scientists find evidence of unintended impacts from anti-cancer drugs

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Wednesday, August 23, 2023
DNA, Drug development, Failure, Protein kinase, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Enzyme, Toxicity, Research, Cell, RNA, Protein, Potapov, Cancer, Logic, Cell nucleus, Health, Medical research, Ribosome, Pharmaceutical industry, Microscope, Dietary supplement, ELife

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With around 90% of drugs failing to make it to market, the potential for improving efficiency within the drug development industry is clear. Drugs designed to combat cancers suffer similar rates of failure for many reasons. Now, researchers have revealed one reason why certain anti-cancer compounds can cause unexpected side effects. This research could help guide an understanding of why some drugs show more promise than others, providing a new tool that can be used to identify those drugs and drug candidates.

Key Points: 
  • This research could help guide an understanding of why some drugs show more promise than others, providing a new tool that can be used to identify those drugs and drug candidates.
  • Thus, the team found a way to capitalize on this variation and asked how chemotherapy drugs impact the nucleolus, causing nucleolar stress.
  • "In this study, we not only evaluated how anti-cancer drugs alter the appearance of nucleoli, but also identified categories of drugs that cause distinct nucleolar shapes," said Gerton.
  • Drugs often fail in clinical trials due to excessive and unintended toxicity that can be caused by their off-target effects.