On June 8, 2015 PTC Therapeutics reported that it will begin a clinical trial at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre to evaluate the safety of a drug known as PTC596, which specifically targets cancer stem cells (Press release, , JUN 8, 2015, View Source [SID:1234505379]).

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Originally discovered in the early 1990s by McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. John Dick, cancer stem cells have now been found within a wide variety of tumours as well as in patients with blood cancers. These cells have the unique ability to form new cancer cells or produce cells with identical stem cell-like properties. Cancer stem cells are also capable of evading chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments, and may largely be responsible for the failure of certain cancer therapies and/or cancer recurrence.

PTC596 inhibits the function and activity of a protein known as B cell moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 protein (BMI1), which is critical to the survival and growth of cancer stem cells.

This first-in-human trial is a critical initial step towards bringing this potentially life-saving treatment to the clinic as it will determine the safety and the effectiveness of PTC596 as a cancer therapy.

"Targeting cancer stem cells by BMI1 inhibition is a promising approach to address the challenge of drug-resistant cancers," stated Princess Margaret Cancer Center Senior Scientist Dr. Lillian Siu. "Cancer is a complex problem and the development of treatments that focus on molecular targets shows promise for the next generation of cancer therapies."