US approves trials of new cancer drug delivery procedureBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) yesterday said that a new cancer drug delivery system — DBPR115 — developed by an affiliated institute has obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration as an investigational new drug that can enter phase 1 clinical trials. IBPR Director Chang Jang-yang (張俊彥) said that drugs can be used to treat cancer cells, but high doses often cause severe side effects, as they can also damage normal cells. Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei TimesThe new system more effectively delivers drugs to targeted cancer cells, reducing the side effects, Chang said. The new delivery system uses a small molecule to replace the antibody and bind it to the drug, delivering it to targeted cancer sites more efficiently, increasing drug concentration at targeted tumor sites for a better therapeutic effect with reduced side effects, Tsou said. The small molecule drug delivery system can also enhance the drug’s ability to recognize signals from cancer cells more effectively, he said.

Source: Taipei Times March 15, 2021 15:56 UTC