New hope for treating incurable prostate cancer

CDK9 is a protein that helps cancer cells grow. Blocking CDK9 can be a good way to treat incurable prostate cancer.

Researchers at Flinders University and the University of South Australia tested a new drug, CDKI-73, that blocks CDK9. They tested it on prostate cancer cells in the lab, in mice, and on samples from patients. They also looked at how much CDK9 is present in cancer tissues.

CDKI-73 stopped cancer cells from growing and caused them to die. It worked in different types of prostate cancer. The drug blocked a process that cancer cells need to survive, leading to less of a protein that prevents cell death. It also affected important cancer-related pathways. Combining CDKI-73 with another drug, AZD5153, worked even better.

Blocking CDK9 with CDKI-73 can disrupt several cancer growth pathways, making it a promising treatment for tough cases of prostate cancer.

References CDK9 inhibition inhibits multiple oncogenic transcriptional and epigenetic pathways in prostate cancer | British Journal of Cancer (nature.com).