Released: 5/16/2012 2:15 PM EDT Embargo expired: 5/24/2012 12:00 PM EDT Source: McMaster University Newswise Hamilton, ON (May 24, 2012) -- A team of scientists at McMaster University has discovered a drug, thioridazine, successfully kills cancer stem cells in the human while avoiding the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments. The unusual aspect of our finding is the way this human-ready drug actually kills cancer stem cells; by changing them into cells that are non-cancerous, said Mick Bhatia, the principal investigator for the study and scientific director of McMasters Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, thioridazine appears to have no effect on normal stem cells. The research, published today in the science journal CELL, holds the promise of a new strategy and discovery pipeline for the development of anticancer drugs in the treatment of various cancers. The research team has identified another dozen drugs that have good potential for the same response. For 15 years, some researchers have believed stem cells are the source of many cancers. In 1997, Canadian researchers first identified cancer stem cells in certain types of leukemia. Cancer stem cells have since been identified … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Veronica McGuire vmcguir@mcmaster.ca 90-552-591-402-2169 McMaster University Hamilton, ON (May 24, 2012) -- A team of scientists at McMaster University has discovered a drug, thioridazine, successfully kills cancer stem cells in the human while avoiding the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments. "The unusual aspect of our finding is the way this human-ready drug actually kills cancer stem cells; by changing them into cells that are non-cancerous," said Mick Bhatia, the principal investigator for the study and scientific director of McMaster's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, thioridazine appears to have no effect on normal stem cells. The research, published today in the science journal CELL, holds the promise of a new strategy and discovery pipeline for the development of anticancer drugs in the treatment of various cancers. The research team has identified another dozen drugs that have good potential for the same response. For 15 years, some researchers have believed stem cells are the source of many cancers. In 1997, Canadian researchers first identified cancer stem cells in certain types of leukemia. Cancer stem cells have since … Continue reading →

McMaster researchers have discovered an anti-psychotic drug kills cancer stem cells without the toxic side-effects of other treatments. Patients taking thioridazine for Parkinsons Disease and schizophrenia have 10 times fewer instances of cancer after being on the drug for a few years. Were connecting dots that we werent connecting before, said Dr. Mick Bhatia, principal investigator of the study and scientific director of McMasters Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. Were excited we have something interesting, but were always nervous because we want to make sure it helps people. The impact of this will be determined if we can put some patients in remission and certainly thats my romantic goal. He expects a small number of Hamilton leukemia patients with no other treatment options will have access to the drug through a clinical trial within a year. Hes also hoping to set up a second trial at another Ontario cancer centre. Its not everyday you find a drug you can move into the clinic, said Bhatia. The only thing we can hope for is that what weve seen in the laboratory, were hoping will work in a patient. If it works, it could dramatically change cancer treatment. Thioridazine on its … Continue reading →

An antipsychotic drug found by McMaster University researchers to kill cancer stem cells was pulled from the shelves by Health Canada years ago because of safety concerns. Thioridazine could dramatically change cancer treatment. The researchers recently discovered it reduced leukemia stem cells by 50 per cent in 24 hours in mice injected with primary human samples. We have certainly not seen any drug weve ever tested have that kind of potency, said Dr. Mick Bhatia, scientific director of McMasters Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute and principal investigator of the study published Thursday in the science journal CELL. Thioridazine is also remarkable because its a smart drug that kills only cancer stem cells and appears to have no effect on normal cells. As a result, it avoids the toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments. Were excited we have something interesting, but were always nervous because we want to make sure it helps people, said Bhatia. The impact of this will be determined if we can put some patients in remission and certainly thats my romantic goal. But there are questions about the safety of the drug. Health Canada halted sales of Thioridazine in September 2005. It was pulled because it … Continue reading →