AI Summary

A new study led by researchers at the University of Sydney, together with collaborators at Goethe University, Oxford University and the Institute of Cancer Research, reports that the experimental cancer drug zavondemstat—and its analogue QC6352—were entered into clinical trials based on a mistaken mechanism of action. The research, published in Nature Chemical Biology, shows that neither compound primarily inhibits the KDM4 protein family as previously thought. Instead, both agents chiefly block dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), an enzyme essential for cancer cells to synthesize nucleotides for rapid growth. The findings raise concerns about the validity of the current trials targeting colorectal, pancreatic and prostate cancers.

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