US researchers have advanced their plans to repurpose a malaria drug as a cancer treatment.
The Texas-based team have now secured US patents for the new use of the malaria drug pyronaridine, after they established the mechanisms by which it might prove effective against cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The team plan to start clinical trials to formally test the drug in this setting.
Professor Renato Aguilera, of the University of Texas at El Paso, has been working on the project since 2017 when, he says, he first spotted that the molecular structure of the drug might be effective against cancer.
Initial laboratory studies, published in PLoS One, showed pyronaridine slowed the replication of cells of blood cancers and several other kinds of cancer.
The researchers have since identified that the drug can trigger programmed cell death of cancer cells – and that it interferes with the enzyme topoisomerase II, which aids the replication of cancer cells. There have also been successful animal studies, the team says.
Professor Aguilera said: “With pyronaridine, we have the trifecta: slowed growth of cells, programmed cell death and minimal impact to healthy cells. In the future, this drug could potentially be used in combination with immunotherapy to speed up the process of killing cancer cells.”
Fellow researcher Dr Paulina Villanueva, of the University of Central Florida, USA, said: “It’s incredible to witness the hard work invested in this research come to fruition. The journey isn’t over yet – there’s still much to be done – but securing the drug’s patent is a significant milestone that will drive future progress.”
Source: University of Texas at El Paso
Link: https://www.utep.edu/newsfeed/2025/march/common-malaria-drug-repurposed-to-fight-cancer.html
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