MBQ Pharma, a Puerto Rican biopharmaceutical company, received a grant from the Popular Impact Fund for its new drug that aims to curb the growth of metastatic breast cancer.
The therapy is in its first clinical phase (1A), in which its safety is being tested in women with breast cancer who have resisted all other available treatments. So far, six of the 10 patients have shown stabilization of their tumors, meaning they have not grown further.
Between 2000 and 2023, more than 47,000 cases of breast cancer were reported in Puerto Rico, being the most common type among women, according to the Cancer Registry.
The Popular Impact Fund is financed by Banco Popular and seeks to support individuals or entities undertaking a mission that will benefit society. Grants can range between $250,000 and $1 million.
In the case of MBQ Pharma, the subsidized treatment is called MBQ-167 and is an oral tablet with a compound that attacks two proteins in cancer cells: Rac and Cdc42. Both are responsible for cell movement and growth, an essential function for them to migrate to other tissues and cause metastasis. Without these proteins, cancer cells cannot grow or move.
MBQ-167 has not shown severe adverse effects in animals or humans.
“At first, we couldn't believe it. We administered high concentrations of the drug (in mice) and saw no adverse effects. That is very atypical among cancer treatments,” said Dr. José Rodríguez Orengo, professor at the School of Medicine of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) and chief executive officer of MBQ Pharma.
Prior to clinical studies, experiments in mice showed that a dose of up to 2,000 milligrams per kilo was safe. That amount is equivalent to giving a human a full tablespoon of ice cream, but of pure medicine.
“So far, in our clinical studies (in women with cancer), we have seen the same. None have reported serious adverse effects. Six of them have stabilized and have continued the medication for several months,” highlighted Rodríguez, who is confident that the treatment will help these patients stabilize their condition.
“Our next phase will be to administer MBQ-167 in combination with Paclitaxel (an existing drug that destroys cancer cells). This way, we will not only be able to curb tumor growth but also destroy them,” he added.
According to Rodríguez, if the combined treatment works in humans the same way it did in their preclinical tests, they will be able to convert breast cancer into a chronic, non-fatal disease.
“The combination in mice has made metastasis disappear. And it has done so without adverse effects. This implies that we could let patients take MBQ-167 long-term and prevent cancer from resurfacing after remission,” he explained.
“We have managed to create a drug that can bring peace of mind to these patients who have tried everything on the market and nothing worked for them. With MBQ-167, they could rest assured that the disease will not return if they take it long-term,” he continued.
For Rodríguez, a native of Yauco and educated in public school, helping to create MBQ-167 from Puerto Rico has been a gratifying experience. This drug is the first of its kind to be patented from the UPR, so when it reaches the market, royalties would go to the university.
Giving back to the UPR a little of what it has given him in his academic training is important for Rodríguez, who assures that his goal is to use scientific research to help patients.
“From Puerto Rico, we are creating opportunities for their families to be (with the patients) longer, without adverse effects, and with a better quality of life. It is important, for me, that people know that there are entrepreneurial scientists who have in mind not only the patient but also the caregiver,” he affirmed.
MBQ Pharma is a joint effort between doctors Su Dharmawardhane, Eliud Hernández, Cornelis Vlaar, and Federico Goodsaid, as well as financier Carlos Domínguez.
Phase 1A of the MBQ-167 study will conclude between July and October. MBQ Pharma is currently raising funds to continue the next clinical phase (1B), in which the combination treatment will be tested in humans.