BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Two generic antifungals and cerivastatin for biliary, pancreatic cancers

May 14, 2019 7:48 PM UTC

INDICATION: Biliary cancer; pancreatic cancer

Organoid studies suggest that amoralfine, fenticonazole or cerivastatin could help treat intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC), gallbladder cancer, neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the ampulla of Vater, and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Screening a library of 339 drugs in organoids derived from one IHCC patient identified three non-cancer agents -- the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor Baycol cerivastatin and the generic antifungals amoralfine and fenticonazole -- that inhibited cell survival with IC50 values of about 0.02-0.1 μM. In organoids derived from two other IHCC patients, one PDAC patient, one gallbladder cancer patient and one NEC of the ampulla of Vater patient, cerivastatin inhibited cell survival with IC50 values of about 0.02-0.12 μM; amoralfine inhibited cell survival with IC50 values of about 0.02-10 μM; and fenticonazole inhibited cell survival with IC50 values of about 0.1- 2 μM. Next steps could include testing the drugs in mouse models of biliary and pancreatic cancers...

BCIQ Company Profiles

Keio University

BCIQ Target Profiles

HMG-CoA reductase