New faster drug development system found

Scientists have discovered a new strategy that is likely to speed up the development of drugs to treat rare cancers.

In a study published by scientific journal Cancer Cell, St Jude Children's Research Hospital used a new, faster drug development system that merged the most up-to-date drug screening technology with the first accurate animal model of the tumour.

As a result of the new development the scientists identified scores of new treatments for ependymoma, a rare tumour that affects the brain and spinal cord and currently has few therapy options, including new drugs and existing treatments that have not been formally tested on this type of cancer.

"This approach should significantly advance the efficiency and speed with which we discover and develop new treatments for rare cancers and cancer subtypes," the scientists said.

Senior author Doctor Richard Gilbertson, director of the St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center, said that the new drug development process will provide key information about effectiveness and optimal administration in just a few months, rather than the years it currently takes with clinical trials.