‘Game changer’: Some existing drugs show potential for fighting cancer

CHARLOTTE — Right now, there are more than 250 generic drugs on the market that show potential for fighting cancer, even though they were developed for other diseases.

That’s according to a nonprofit that’s focused on repurposing them for cancer treatment. They’re using artificial intelligence and the medications already available to help save lives and money.

Cancer researcher Laura Kleiman’s own mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and she found her mission in life after her mother’s passing.

“We learned about opportunities for other treatments that could potentially help her, but we didn’t yet have enough data to know whether they would be safe and effective for treating her type of cancer,” Kleiman said.

She left her job and founded Reboot RX. They’re identifying generic non-cancer drugs that cost 85% less than name brands, and they’re repurposing them for cancer treatment.

“Our prostate cancer drug, for example, being as little as $50 a year treatment compared to $100,000 a year. Yeah, it’s a game changer,” Kleiman said.

Kleiman says by using AI, they can scrub through decades of studies and data in just weeks to find the drugs that hold the most promise. That would normally take years.

“Unless you look at patients face to face every day, you forget how important it is to drive lab-based research to patients as quickly as possible. And this approach definitely has that potential,” said Dr. David Rank, an oncologist and researcher.

He says the other challenge is funding. Right now, Reboot RX is being backed by philanthropy.

“So where there may not be a large profit to be made, the fact that it can have a big beneficial impact on patients. It’s the driving motivator,” Frank said.

Kleiman says her team does the work to provide hope to cancer patients and their loved ones.

“There are other solutions, that there are other opportunities that can help them live longer and better lives,” she said.

In the next few months, they plan to introduce their repurposed drug treatment plan for a patient with prostate cancer. The organization thinks that drug could slow the disease’s progression -- and either delay or eliminate the need for surgery and radiation.

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