Scientists at Russia's Ural Federal University have developed new chemical compounds capable of stopping tumor growth, not by destroying cells, but by "freezing" their division process.
It could form the basis for future drugs to combat malignant tumors, according to the university's public relations department.
The public relations statement read: "The scientific team at the University's Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies has synthesized substances that pave the way for safer and more targeted new-generation cancer drugs. The new compounds selectively affect certain types of cancer cells, relying on inhibiting cell division rather than immediate destruction."
The researchers tested the compounds on glioblastoma cells (brain cancer), bladder cancer, and lung cancer, as well as on healthy human kidney cells. One of the substances exhibited a cytostatic effect, inhibiting tumor growth by stopping cell division without killing the cells as traditional chemotherapy treatments do.
Using computer modeling, the scientists identified the likely target of the compounds, the CDK2 protein, which plays a key role in cell cycle regulation, as blocking this protein is associated with the compound's "freezing" effect.
Konstantin Savateev, an assistant professor at the Center for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Technologies, noted that most of the synthesized substances limited the growth of cancer cells but remained toxic to healthy cells, except for two compounds that showed selectivity, targeting only bladder cancer and glioblastoma cells.
Scientists emphasized that developing such targeted drugs is of particular importance because traditional chemotherapy often damages healthy tissue, causing severe side effects, and tumors develop drug resistance over time. If these compounds successfully pass all testing phases, the new drug could appear on the Russian market within 7 to 10 years.
