By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter


South Korean researchers have made a big stride in cancer treatment by developing an oral drug that can be used to fight a wide range of cancers, including cystic, lung and metastatic conditions.

A joint research team, led by Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) professor Chung Hesson, announced on Tuesday that it has succeeded in developing an ingestible anti-cancer drug using paclitaxel.

Paclitaxel is a compound originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific Yew Tree. It is the active component in one of the most effective and widely used drugs to treat cancer.

Despite the effectiveness of paclitaxel, the agent has been delivered through injection up until now because the human intestine can’t absorb it.

After a five-year intensive study, the government-sponsored team said it has solved the problem, creating a paclitaxel drug in edible form with an absorption rate of around 20 percent compared with the injected form.

``This breakthrough is the world’s first oral anti-cancer drug that can cover several sorts of cancers without the need for combinatory therapy,’’ Chung said.

Chung added that through three years of animal testing, the new drug proved to be especially powerful in dealing with cystic, lung and metastatic cancers.

The study started in 1999 under the aegis of the government, and local pharmaceutical company Dae Hwa also funded the project with cooperation from Seoul National University and Chung-Ang University.

Chung said she expects a commercial rollout of the versatile drug in 2008 after pre-clinical experiments and two phases of clinical trials.

For the commercial launch of the drug, KIST signed a technology transfer deal with Dae Hwa late last year and also applied for local and international patents.

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