HK Experts Develop New Anti-cancer Drug

    Hong Kong Polytechnic University has developed a new drug proven to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Developed by Associate Professor Dr. Thomas Leung Yun-chung and Assistant Professor Dr. Thomas Lo Wai-hung of the university's Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, the new drug works by starving cancer cells of arginine, a key nutrient for many cancer cells. The main constituent of the drug is arginase, which is an enzyme that degrades arginine, with urea as the end product.

    In laboratory settings, the new drug has proven effective in cell cultures for breast cancer, cervical cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer. This therapy does not affect normal cells, resulting in less side effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy.