Cancer Digest

Cell division blocker combined with cisplatin triggers tumor cell death

SCIENCE DAILY – April 9, 2014 – Researchers using an experimental drug that blocks division of a key structure in cells, combined with a common chemotherapy drug triggered unexpected significant cell death in breast cancer cell lines. The findings were presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2014 in San Diego. The new agent, called mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 (mdivi-1) blocks a protein in the cell’s energy converter, called mitochondria, that prevents it from dividing, a necessary step in cell division. Cisplatin has long been, one of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs, but often loses its effectiveness. 

“Cisplatin is one of the most widely used cancer drugs today, but some tumors are inherently resistant to it, and many others become resistant, leading to treatment failure," Dr. Van Houten, of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute said. "In our studies, this combination overcame cisplatin resistance and caused cancer cell death, which is very encouraging."