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 Quarfloxin

Description of Quarfloxin: Quarfloxin ( or Quarfloxacin)  is a fluoroquinolone derivative with antineoplastic activity. Quarfloxin disrupts the interaction between the nucleolin protein and a G-quadruplex DNA structure in the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) template, a critical interaction for rRNA biogenesis that is overexpressed in cancer cells; disruption of this G-quadruplex DNA:protein interaction in aberrant rRNA biogenesis may result in the inhibition of ribosome synthesis and tumor cell apoptosis. Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus).

Current developer:  Cylene Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Clinical trial news:  Quarfloxin is a ground-breaking small-molecule targeted cancer therapeutic derived from the validated fluoroquinolone class of drugs. Rationally designed to selectively inhibit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) biogenesis in cancer cells, quarfloxin disrupts the interaction between the Nucleolin protein and a G-quadruplex DNA structure in the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) template, a critical interaction for rRNA biogenesis and one that is amplified in cancer cells. As a result, quarfloxin selectively induces apoptotic cell death in cancers. Many commercialized cancer therapeutics act indirectly on rRNA Biogenesis through upstream modulators, but quarfloxin is the first agent to directly target this cancer-specific aberrant cell function. According to  news released on June 19, 2011, Cylene Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a Phase II clinical trial of quarfloxin (CX-3543) in patients with carcinoid/neuroendocrine tumors (C/NET), which are malignant cancers arising from neural crest cells.

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