Russian scientists unveil molecule to fight chemotherapy-resistant cancer

A new anti-tumor compound that is said to be able to fight even chemotherapy-resistant cancers has been developed in Moscow. The team behind the effort, led by Prof. Alexander Kiselyov from Phystech University (MIPT), brought together scientists from the Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry, the Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, and Immune Pharmaceuticals, a private international company. 

The results of the project  have been published  in English in European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 

The researchers are reported to have synthesized 37 compounds, with one, belonging to the aminoizothiazole family, picked as the most suitable to serve the purpose. 

“The family typically exhibits a wide spectrum of pharmacological and biological activity. That’s why we deduced that izothiazole derivatives in junction with some specific chemical groups might display anti-cancer activity,” Prof. Kiselyov said. 

The efficacy of the new compound has been tested on sea urchin embryos and human cancerous cells. One of the new molecules was even proven effective against human ovary carcinoma, a cancer notorious for its resistance to chemical drugs.

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