Researchers at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research have obtained funding to evaluate a novel treatment for liver cancer.
A new grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council will help researcher from the Harry Perkins Institute evaluate a new RNA-based drug for liver cancer.
The new RNA-based drug, called mRx-7, works by inhibiting the growth of cancerous liver cells.
Liver cancer is a hard-to-treat condition, affecting more than 100,000 Australians each year, with data showing a 30% increase in the number of cases of the past five years. Current treatments depend on the stage of the cancer, and may involve surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies to destroy cancer cells.
However, current statistics show that in 2019, liver cancer was the seventh most common cause of cancer death in Australia. Currently, about 79% of those affected by liver cancer die within five years from diagnosis.
According to Prof Peter Leedman, director of the Harry Perkins Institute, liver cancer is rapidly becoming one of the hardest to treat cancers in Australia, with a poor prognosis and few treatment options.
“Tragically, patients have just an approximate one in five chance of survival. New treatments are urgently needed,” Prof Leedman said.
The new grant of $483,000 will fund clinical research involving researchers from Perth, Sydney, Texas (USA) and Vancouver (Canada). This international team will test mRx-7 alone and in combination with standard-of-care treatments to evaluate how well the new drug is tolerated.
The results of this study will provide the data needed to advance the drug to clinical trials. “Success would position mRx-7 to progress further towards early-phase clinical trials in patients with liver cancer, which would be extremely exciting and potentially life-saving,” Prof Leedman said.