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Direct-to-stomach delivery of drugs for the chemoprevention of inherited stomach cancer

Year:
2025
Duration:
36 months
Approved budget:
$1,199,177.00
Researchers:
Professor Parry Guilford
,
Dr Jessica Fairhall
,
Dr Lyvianne Decourtye-Espiard
,
Associate Professor Allan Gamble
Host:
University of Otago
Health issue:
Cancer (oncology)
Proposal type:
Project
Lay summary
Individuals at risk of the inherited cancer syndrome Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) are recommended to have their stomachs removed to eliminate their high risk of death from stomach cancer. Although this surgical procedure is likely to save their lives, it is associated with lifelong morbidity. To provide an alternative to surgery, we are developing a drug treatment strategy which would eliminate the need for stomach removal. We have previously (i) identified a class of drugs (AKT inhibitors) with strong activity against early stage stomach cancer, and (ii) developed a drug formulation which allows us to deliver these drugs straight to the stomach. Here, we propose to link these earlier advances so that we deliver effective, cancer-preventing drugs directly to the stomach, thus avoiding the side effects that one would typically experience with normal oral or IV drug delivery routes.