HANGZHOU, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new type of Aptamer Drug Conjugate (ApDC) developed by a group of Chinese researchers has recently been granted orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bringing new hope for patients with rare eye cancer, the Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Saturday.
The first ApDC to have FDA orphan drug designation globally, the drug was jointly developed by researchers from HIM and Wenzhou Medical University. Orphan drugs are drugs specifically used to treat rare diseases.
The drug targets tumors such as malignant uveal melanoma and liver metastatic tumors. It uses aptamers as targeting molecules to accurately bind cancer cells and release antitumor drugs. With fewer side effects and a high safety level, it reduces damage to healthy tissues and achieves more efficient and safer therapeutic effects.
The team said that comprehensive animal experiments have shown that the ApDC drug not only efficiently inhibits the growth of ocular tumors in situ, but also significantly reduces the risk of tumor metastasis to the liver, lungs, bones and brain, demonstrating significant antitumor effects.
The team plans to carry out clinical trials and put it into application as soon as possible, bringing new hope for patients.
Uveal melanoma is a rare but deadly eye cancer. Its early symptoms are often not obvious, and many patients have already reached the advanced stage when diagnosed. It is highly prone to spreading through the bloodstream, especially to the liver. Once metastasis occurs, the average survival period for patients is less than a year. ■