(Photo : Michelle Leman via Pexels)

Finding a definitive cure for cancer is one of humanity's holy grails. However, since cancer encompasses such a wide range of conditions and bodily systems, it is nearly impossible to find a specific cure that targets all kinds of cancers. This doesn't mean that the search is entirely futile, as scientists have learned so much about cancer, creating various treatments with different applications and various degrees of effectiveness.

One such scientist leading the charge is Dr. Stanley Lewis, founder of A28 Therapeutics. The company's flagship product is the AT-101 lytic peptide molecule, which is in late-stage clinical development. According to Dr. Lewis, AT-101 is a targeted molecule that binds to cancer cells and kills them on contact. Its mechanism of action is simple, targeting cancer cells due to their unique characteristics—an overexpression of LHRH receptors and a negatively charged cell membrane. These characteristics are mostly absent in healthy cells, resulting in limited toxicity and relatively mild side effects compared to conventional treatments like chemotherapy. 

The cancer cells destroyed by AT-101 release tumor-associated antigens, which train the patient's immune system to recognize the tumor cells and attack them. This makes it act much like a vaccine, further enhancing the body's capability to fight off cancer. Dr. Lewis adds that AT-101 persists in the patient's liver for three days, giving it a stronger potential to treat cancers that begin in the liver or have metastasized there. If approved as a treatment for cancer, AT-101 will add a powerful tool to an oncologist's armamentarium.

According to Dr. Lewis, A28 Therapeutics adheres to an approach he calls "physio technology," which refers to treatments that mimic the way the body works. For example, AT-101 uses a hormone that binds to cancer cells and a peptide to lyse them. This killing mechanism is similar to how the body's immune system fights off infectious diseases and cancer.

Dr. Lewis adds that the medical industry, while having made numerous major advances, seems to have somewhat lost its way. Most medications, he says, antagonize a receptor, block an enzyme, or bind to a target to hide the symptoms of the disease. Thus, medicine has been mostly about symptom suppression rather than curing a disease.

One of Dr. Lewis' favorite analogies in outlining his medical philosophy is the safety briefing conducted by airline flight attendants. In the briefing, they tell passengers to follow the lights on the cabin floor towards the emergency exit. However, they also remind passengers to look back, as a nearer exit might be just behind them. This demonstrates that an easily accessed treatment might be just within reach, but researchers and clinicians could be missing them while in pursuit of more distant and complex solutions.

"The body has natural killer cells that use lytic peptides to eliminate bacteria and malignant cells. We already use lytic peptides to kill bacteria, in the form of antibiotics such as vancomycin," Dr. Lewis says. "So, I wondered, 'why aren't we using lytic peptides to kill cancer?' Instead, the industry is focused on all these complex approaches that seem very elegant and may work, but we're overlooking existing physiologic clues. The body has already shown us how it gets rid of cancer, and perhaps all we need to do is to enhance and replicate it."

According to Dr. Lewis, his motivation to become a doctor and find a treatment for cancer stems from his father. In his childhood, he often told his father what he wanted to be when he grew up, saying a different profession each time. When he said that he wanted to become a doctor, his father was overjoyed and announced it to everyone he knew. Dr. Lewis would always remember his father's happiness, so he studied hard to become a doctor.

However, tragedy struck when Dr. Lewis was in medical school. His father was diagnosed with gastric cancer, and it was found to have spread to his liver. In three months, he succumbed to cancer.

"My father was my inspiration for becoming a doctor in the first place," Dr. Lewis says. "Which is why it was so devastating that he did not have the opportunity to see me achieve this goal. So, when I got the chance to develop a drug that could treat patients with cancer, especially those who have liver metastases, I had no choice but to pursue it. On behalf of all physicians and all children who have lost a loved one to cancer, I get to strike a blow against this deadly disease. This is a very personal fight, not just because I love helping people and I think that cancer patients should have safe, effective treatment options, but there's also a little part of me that says I need to do this for my Dad."