Dr. Richard Neubig
Researchers at Michigan State University have discovered a potential drug that could stop the spread of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 90 percent, the Detroit News reports. Melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer deaths in this country.
Kim Kozlowski of the Detroit News writes:
Though the potential drug is still two to five years away from human trials, the discovery is being hailed as promising since the man-made, small-molecule compound shuts down a gene’s ability to produce RNA molecules and certain proteins in melanoma tumors, stopping the cancer from spreading.
The potential drug is showing promise not only for melanoma but possibly other cancers, such as breast cancer, said Richard Neubig, professor and chair of the MSU Pharmacology and Toxicology department and author of the study.
That’s because the compound treats a pathway in the melanoma cells that is also present in breast cancer cells.
“What we showed is we can very dramatically reduce the metastasis (the spread of cancer),” Neubig said. “We think the potential is tremendous and are excited about the possibilities.”
