Repurposing (at least partial!): BKIDC-1553 is targeting glycolysis

[Maxone73]

A new compound, BKIDC-1553, developed by researchers at the University of Washington, shows promise in treating PCa, this molecule was originally part of a series of anti-parasite molecules found to inhibit a human protein kinase (PKD) implicated in prostate cancer

fredhutch.org/en/news/spotl...

[KocoPr]

Another arrow to make for the quiver, and it looks like a good one by attacking glycolysis.

“To better understand how BKIDC-1553 works, they modified the molecule so that it no longer inhibited its intended target. Despite losing its ability to inhibit PKD and other protein kinases, the BKIDC variant still displayed potent activity against prostate cancer cells. Follow-up studies revealed that BKIDC-1553 selectively inhibited glycolysis that is required for prostate cancer cells to grow, particularly those that are advanced. Previous attempts to develop glycolysis inhibitor drugs have been unsuccessful due to systemic toxicity, as glycolysis is an essential process for healthy, normal cells to grow. Dr. Plymate’s team discovered that BKIDC-1553 activity depends on hexokinase 2 (HK2), an enzyme that is absent or expressed at low levels in most normal cells in the body. However, it is significantly upregulated in metastatic prostate cancer. Importantly, their compound showed a lack of toxicity in rodents and canines when administered orally at therapeutic doses. Thus, BKDIC-1553 will likely have selective toxicity only in prostate cancer cells. ”