THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Novel Two-Part Drug Puts Cancer Cells Under Extreme Metabolic Stress by Hijacking Sugar and Blocking Fat

- Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin developed an experimental compound that accelerates cancer cells' sugar consumption while simultaneously blocking their fat-based backup fuel supply. - The dual-action drug, described in Nature Chemical Biology, killed most cancer cells in an aggressive melanoma mouse model while largely sparing noncancerous cells. - The compound, termed an "electrophile-drug conjugate" (EDC), acts as a fully chemical counterpart to antibody-drug conjugates and can target proteins inside cells. - The findings remain preclinical, with considerably more laboratory testing required before the drug can be studied in humans.