New cancer drug being tested in Hamilton

Hamilton area patients will soon have access to a novel drug being tested here that targets cancer and avoids the side effects of chemotherapy.

A study on SOR-C13 involving about 15 patients starts next month at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York is the only other centre with access to the drug, made in New Brunswick and derived from the saliva of a shrew.

Weve been getting calls from all over the country from people who are interested in travelling to Hamilton to come on the study, said Hamilton oncologist and lead researcher Dr. Hal Hirte. It has created a lot of excitement.

The buzz around the drug is that it pinpoints only cancer cells. Traditional chemotherapy is indiscriminate and also kills off healthy cells.

These smart drugs are a promising area of cancer research McMaster University is already pursuing. Hamiltons Dr. Mick Bhatia recently discovered that the antipsychotic drug Thioridazine targets cancer cells and plans to start a clinical trial within a year.

Most chemotherapy is pretty much a shotgun approach, so its poisonous to all cells said Jack Stewart, chairman and chief scientific officer of Soricimed Biopharma Inc., which created SOR-C13.

Its why chemotherapy has so many side effects.

Smart drugs have virtually none.

SOR-C13 is a new drug developed by the New Brunswick research and development company that creates cancer treatments and diagnostic tests. Its derived from the saliva of a shrew a mouselike mammal that uses a paralyzing agent to hunt its prey. It appears its also effective at fighting cancer.

The drug works by stopping calcium from getting to cancer cells, which causes them to self-destruct.

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New cancer drug being tested in Hamilton