Cyclacel: Cancer killing peptides

OXFORD - With mutations of tumor suppressor genes such as p53 accounting for a large number of cancers, it is hardly surprising that they have become a favorite target for drug developers. But while many companies are focused on p53, the diversity of mutants across different tumor types presents an obstacle for the design of future clinical trials.

The challenge is how to test such cancer therapies in, say, breast cancer patients when p53 mutations occur in less than one half of this population? The answer, according to Cyclacel, is by studying oncogenes found downstream of p53, such as p16 and p21...