ROCHESTER, New York, October 2, 2007 (ENS) - A compound derived from feverfew, a common medicinal plant that has been used for centuries to reduce fever, will soon be tested on humans for its ability to attack the roots of the deadly blood cancer leukemia.

Under development is dimethylamino-parthenolide, DMAPT, which is derived from the daisy-like plant.

New research by University of Rochester investigators published in the current issue of the journal "Blood" shows that the water-soluble DMAPT selectively targets leukemia at the stem-cell level, where the malignancy is born. Standard chemotherapy does not strike deep enough to kill cancer at the roots, resulting in relapses.

The Rochester team has been leading the investigation of this promising therapy on the deadly blood cancer for nearly five years. And to bring it from a laboratory concept to patient studies in that time is very fast progress in the drug development world, said Craig Jordan, Ph.D., senior author of the "Blood" article.

Jordan is director of blood cancer research at the University of Rochester Medical Center's James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.

Clinical trials are expected to begin in England by the end of 2007. Investigators expect to initially enroll about a dozen adult volunteers who have been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or other types of blood or lymph cancers, Jordan said.

A compound derived from feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium, shows promise as a leukemia drug. (Photo credit unknown)

Leukemia is different from most cancers and particularly hard to eradicate because leukemia stem cells lie dormant. Standard cancer treatments are designed to seek out actively dividing cells. But in studies so far, DMAPT can kill both dormant cells and cells that are busy dividing, Guzman said

Rochester investigators looked at whether DMAPT could eliminate leukemia in donated human cells, and in mice and dogs. In all cases, DMAPT induced rapid death of leukemia stem and progenitor cells, without harming healthy blood cells.

DMAPT also has shown potential as a treatment for breast and prostate cancer, melanoma, and multiple myeloma, Guzman said, although those studies have only been conducted in cell cultures to date.

"Once we begin seeing evidence from the clinical trials, it will give us more insight into the pharmacological properties of DMAPT and it will be easier to figure out its potential for other cancers," Guzman said.

The National Cancer Institute's Rapid Access to Interventional Development, RAID, program is funding the fast-track research into DMAPT at the University of Rochester. RAID attempts to push promising new therapeutics into the marketplace quickly. Additional funding came from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the U.S. Department of Defense.

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