A pharmacological intervention directed against the proliferation of cancer cells is at the centre of a study conducted by researchers of the Drug Discovery and Development (D3) department of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), based in Genoa (Italy), published on the International journal Scientific Reports, with the title “Discovery of highly potent acid ceramidase inhibitors with in vitro tumor chemosensitizing activity”.

The starting point of this study was a compound called Carmofur, used in the clinical treatment of colon cancers, of which the mechanism of action was unknown. “We discovered that Carmofur is a strong inhibitor of acid ceramidase and that this action is at the origin of its antitumor effect”  – explains Dr. Natalia Realini, researcher of the D3 department and first author of the study – “Starting from this observation, we created a series of new molecules, demonstrating that they are capable of strengthening the action of chemotherapeutic drugs, in cultures of human cancer cells. It is important to remember that these are the first molecules capable of inhibiting in such a strong way acid ceramidase, both in vitro and in vivo.”

The next steps will be of optimizing, on a chemical level, the action of the new inhibitors, increasing their selectivity, safety and method of administration.