Cancer-triggered drug
Finding a drug that targets only the diseased cells in our body and is otherwise harmless to healthy tissue is a goal for cancer researchers. It’s driven the work of Professor Laurence Patterson, Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Bradford, and his team of researchers. The drug they are developing is based on Colchicine - a compound derived from the Autumn Crocus. The team believes this is the first attempt at removing existing blood vessel supply to a tumour. Using an enzyme, only found in diseased tissue as a trigger, means that it can also target secondary tumours caused by the cancer spreading through the body.

Their starting point was a batch of Matrix Metalloproteinases called MMP14, which had been identified in tumour tissue. This enzyme breaks down the proteins in surrounding healthy tissue and allows the tumour to proliferate. When the tiny molecules of the drug meet the MMP14 they combine to activate the drug.

Clinical trial
Although the chemical is a natural derivative, the team are making it in the laboratory. They have established proof of concept and once funding is established will embark on the next phase to develop the drug and set up a clinical trial.

The beauty of this drug, Patterson foresees, is its compatibility with conventional treatments such as chemotherapy. Given the resistant nature of tumours, Colchicine promises another weapon in the body’s battle, cutting off the blood supply that allows the cancer to flourish, so even an aggressive cancer could be neutralised.