Scientists find new use for old antibiotic in treatment of melanoma

An old antibiotic could be the key to killing off dangerous skin cancer cells, new research shows.

Scientists from the University of Edinburgh conducted a study which found that the drug nifuroxazide could complement existing therapies for melanoma. The team, from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Institute for Genetics and Molecular Medicine, tested the drug on melanoma cells within mice which had been implanted with human samples of the disease.

Current research on melanoma therapies focuses largely on blocking a type of enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1), which is secreted by many of the more dangerous cells in melanoma tumours.

The team from Edinburgh attempted to use nifuroxazide to selectively kill cells producing a high level of ALDH1. Nifuroxazide is activated by the enzyme ALDH1, meaning that it only becomes toxic once it is inside cells producing the enzyme.

By using the antibiotic, the researchers were able to effectively kill the tumour cells within the mice, without significant toxicity spreading to other parts of the body.

The team now hopes that the strategy can complement existing melanoma therapies, though they do warn that more research is needed to determine if it will be effective in humans.

Dr Nathan Richardson, head of molecular and cellular medicine at the MRC, said: “This imaginative study exploits the sensitivity of some cancer cells to an existing antibiotic and could reveal an exciting new approach to both combination treatment and ‘personalised’ medicine by directly targeting drug resistance - a key priority for the MRC.”