Drug originally developed for cancer proves effective for children with progeria
Monday, September 24, 2012 - 15:00
in Health & Medicine
Results of the first-ever clinical drug trial for children with progeria, a rare, fatal "rapid-aging" disease, demonstrate the efficacy of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug originally developed to treat cancer. The clinical trial results, completed only six years after scientists identified the cause of progeria, included significant improvements in weight gain, bone structure and, most importantly, the cardiovascular system.