University Of Hull Study: Side Effects Of Promising New Drug

Led by Pedro Beltran-Alvarez, researchers at Hull have published new findings about possible side effects of a promising new drug.

Antonia Barry, a YBTC-funded PhD student, is one of the authors of a new article published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science this August. To read the article in full, CLICK HERE.

The team at the University of Hull, with the support of YBTC, are investigating a particular type of drug, called arginine methylation inhibitors, as emerging new therapies against brain tumours.

Arginine methylation inhibitors have recently begun to be investigated through clinical trials, some of which include brain tumour patients. Given that these inhibitors may soon be approved for the treatment of cancer, it is important to explore any side effects.

In this study, the authors found that arginine methylation inhibitors can affect the function of platelets, which are the cells in the blood that form clots and prevent bleeding when an injury occurs. This is important because current clinical trials will need to consider any adverse effects associated with bleeding when giving arginine methylation inhibitors to patients.

The authors recognise that therapies with arginine methylation inhibitors are very promising against a range of cancers. They continue to investigate these inhibitors, which show great potential against brain tumours. However, their research is the first to identify that treatment will need to be monitored for any excess bleeding, particularly in specific patients, such as those at risk of heart attacks or strokes who may be taking antiplatelet drugs (such as aspirin, clopidogrel, etc).

As such, this publication contributes greatly to the understanding of arginine methylation inhibitors and their potential in the treatment of brain tumours, and could save lives in current clinical trials.

The publication’s other authors were Alistair James Marsden, David R. J. Riley, Jawad S. Khalil, Barbara-ann Guinn, Neil T. Kemp, Francisco Rivero and Pedro Beltran-Alvarez.

Pedro-Beltran Alvarez is currently leading a research project using pioneering tissue-on-chip technology to discover diagnostic biomarkers of glioblastoma. To read more about this project, CLICK HERE.

Antonia previously published her first paper back in January; a literature review focusing on arginine methylation inhibitors and their targets. To read more about this paper, CLICK HERE.