Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) are a step closer to developing a topical cream that can prevent and treat skin cancers in organ transplant patients.
Australia’s National Foundation for Medical Research and Innovation (NFMRI) is offering A$344,000 in funding to support the treatment through pre-clinical development.
The skin cancer cream contains a novel drug that was discovered and developed in partnership with UniQuest’s small molecule drug discovery initiative QEDDI.
Building on QEDDI’s pre-clinical development work, the research team at UQ will evaluate the depth of its application to the skin and enable large-scale manufacturing.
University of Queensland’s Frazer Institute associate professor James Wells said: “It’s a major step forward that we hope will allow us to take this promising molecule to clinical trials down the track.
“After receiving an organ transplant, patients have to take immunosuppressive drugs to help ensure their bodies do not reject the new organs.
According to the UQ report, the drug has the potential to prevent the formation and treat the early stages of skin cancer in organ transplant patients.
However, drugs of its kind may increase a patient’s risk of skin cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
The project funding will support the development of the skin cream through pre-clinical studies and allow the creation of a formula suitable for application on human skin.
Wells added: “Currently there are no FDA-approved drugs to treat SCCs in these patients, so skin cancers must be managed with regular medical checks and removals over a person’s lifetime until one becomes too advanced and metastasises.
“Patients are left with few options without risking transplant rejection, and that’s why this new treatment would be life-changing for them.”
University of Queensland CEO Dean Moss said: “A first-of-a-kind treatment for transplant recipients would make an incredible difference to the lives of patients.”
