Pyronaridine anti-malarial drugs could be implemented to treat cancer

Pyronaridine anti-malarial drugs could be implemented to treat cancer

Can a drug used to treat malaria be translated into fighting cancer? Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso have secured a patent for the pyronaridine anti-malarial drug pyronaridine to do just that. Pyronaridine has been used to treat the mosquito-borne infectious disease for over 30 years.

The discovery is the result of a chance encounter at UTEP.

Renato Aguilera, Ph.D., a UTEP professor of biological sciences, attended a university seminar on the drug in 2017. As a longtime cancer researcher, Aguilera recognized that the molecular structure of pyronaridine could be useful in fighting cancer cells.

Louis Pasteur said, “Opportunity favors the prepared mind.” When I looked closely at the structure of the drug, I saw that it could be used to attack cancer cells. Several years later, the grant of the patent brings us closer to using this drug for patient care. “

Renato Aguilera, Ph.D., UTEP Professor of Biological Sciences

Together with then doctoral student Paulina Villanueva, Ph.D. In 2018, they published a research paper in the journal PLoS One outlining their findings that the drug slows replication of cancer and induces “cellular suicide” in leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma, multiple myeloma, lung, ovarian cells.

Cancer cells multiply much faster than normal cells in the body, Aguilera explained, leading to the spread of the cancer and a worsening prognosis for the patient.

In their research, Aguilera and Villanueva found that pyronaridine impaired the activity of an enzyme called topoisomerase II, which helps cancer cells replicate, thereby slowing the progression of cancer growth. In addition to slowing them down, it also led the cancer cells into “programmed cell death,” a process by which cells effectively commit suicide.

In addition, the drug did not affect normal cells, which did not separate quickly, leaving healthy cells intact while killing the cancer cells, Aguilera said.

“With pyronaridine, we have the trifecta: slowed growth of cells, programmed cell death and minimal effects on healthy cells,” Aguilera said. “In the future, this drug could potentially be used in combination with immunotherapy to speed up the process of killing cancer cells.”

Aguilera said pyronaridine has been successfully tested in some animals, and a pilot study of terminally ill patients with late-stage breast, lung and liver cancer by the pharmaceutical company Armmaceutica showed increased longevity. But Aguilera warned that pyronaridine can be used to treat cancer in the public, a years-long process that tests drugs to ensure their safety and effectiveness in humans.

Villanueva is now a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of Central Florida Nanoscience Technology Center. During her doctoral program at UTEP, Villanueva conducted much of the research that led to the discovery of pyronaridine as a cancer drug.

“It’s incredible to see the hard work that goes into this research,” Villanueva said. "Research opens the door to countless possibilities, and while personalized medicine is not a one-size-fits-all, the drug pyronaridine could be a breakthrough for some. The journey is not over yet - there is still much to do - but securing the drug's patent is a significant milestone that will drive future advances."

The drug was patented this spring in collaboration witharmetica, which works to develop cancer treatments. The patent, granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, recognizes Aguilera as the inventor and owner of the intellectual property related to the use of pyronaridine in cancer.

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