U of T Researcher Makes Major Cancer Treatment Breakthrough

A world-renowned U of T cancer researcher has discovered a new class of targeted cancer drugs — a major breakthrough that could revolutionize cancer treatment.

Professor Tak Mak of the Department of Immunology in U of T’s Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with Dr. Dennis Slamon at the University of California, Los Angeles developed CFI-400945, a new drug that effectively inhibits the growth of breast and ovarian cancers, as well as colorectal, glioblastoma, lung, melanoma, pancreatic and prostate cancers. The new drug is based on their research of PLK4, a target enzyme that plays a crucial role in cancer cell division.

“We have been able to progress this project from our initial scientific observations through the complex stages of drug discovery and development to the point where we will shortly be able to test a drug in patients,” said Mak, also appointed to the Department of Medical Biophysics and Director of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

“It is extremely rare for an academic group to have discovered and advanced a novel “first-in-class” drug candidate to this level, and it would not have been possible without the fundamental support provided by donors,” Mak continues.

Mak and Slamon submitted an Investigational New Drug application to Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration for CFI-400945, and, following a successful regulatory review, look forward to entering the clinical trial phase in the coming months.

“I truly believe in this important discovery and its therapeutic potential for cancer patients,” said Slamon, best known for his discovery and development of Herceptin, a targeted breast cancer drug developed in the late 1990s that had a major impact on breast cancer survival rates.