New cancer hope may lie in 'renegade' drug
It is the case of thalidomide, a drug used in the 1950s as a sedative and sleeping pill that was also associated with cases of malformations in children.
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In the 1950s, thalidomide was widely used as a sedative and sleeping pill. It was also linked to birth defects, so it fell into 'disrepute' and was 'abandoned'. However, new research from Goethe University in Germany suggests it could be making a comeback as a cancer treatment.
According to research website Research in German, the drug could inhibit the growth of blood vessels and cut off the supply of nutrients to tumours.
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In a study published earlier this month, it showed promise in treating malignant tumours of the bone marrow.
"We now know that thalidomide is what we call a 'molecular glue'," Xinlai Cheng of Goethe University told news aggregator HuffPost. "That means it is able to grab two proteins and bring them together. This is particularly interesting because one of these proteins is a kind of 'molecular label'."
The study was carried out in fruit flies. Cheng said more research is needed. "While our results show that modified thalidomide molecules have great therapeutic potential, we cannot yet say whether this will actually be demonstrated in practice at some point."
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