An experimental one cancer The drug can stop osteoporosis and help women stay slim after the disease menopausesuggests one study.
The drug, known as CADD522, is designed to block a protein that stimulates the growth and spread of several types of cancer.
But scientists found that the treatment appeared to strengthen bones in postmenopausal mice and also helped them stay slimmer.
Lead researcher Dr Darrell Green, from the University of East Anglia, said: ‘Osteoporosis affects around one in three women over the age of 50, leaving patients vulnerable to painful fractures that can seriously affect quality of life.
‘Current treatments exist, but many are plagued by side effects, safety issues or cumbersome dosing schedules that make long-term use difficult.
‘We have discovered a completely new way to tackle the disease.
‘We discovered that a drug originally developed to stop cancer could help millions of women facing the twin challenges of fragile bones and weight gain in middle age.
‘We hope our work can lead to a new generation of osteoporosis treatments that address bone loss while addressing some of the broader metabolic consequences of menopause.’
Scientists found that the treatment appeared to strengthen bones in postmenopausal mice and also helped them stay slimmer.
The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday’s ‘War on Osteoporosis’ campaign calls for better care for patients with the disease.
The new research, published in the journal npj Drug Discovery, used mice that had undergone surgery to mimic the hormonal changes after menopause.
Animals treated with CADD522 for eight weeks showed significant improvements in bone health.
Scans revealed increased bone volume and better preservation of the delicate honeycomb-like structures in the bones that are crucial for strength and resilience.
Blood tests showed that the drug stimulated the growth of new bone, without disrupting the body’s normal process of breaking down and rebuilding bone.
The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday’s ‘War on Osteoporosis’ campaign calls for better care for patients with the disease.
Dr. Green said: ‘This is especially important because many existing osteoporosis drugs work by suppressing bone loss, which can sometimes lead to complications if used long-term.
‘But the biggest surprise came when we looked beyond bone health.
‘The mice given CADD522 weighed less than their untreated counterparts, despite eating the same amount of food.
‘They also had less body fat and less fat deposits in their bone marrow – a process often seen after menopause and linked to declining bone health.’
The team also examined brain tissue and found that the drug appeared to reverse several menopause-related changes in fatty acids.
Levels of beneficial omega-3 fats, including DHA, remained largely intact, while some other lipid abnormalities returned to healthier patterns.
Dr. Green said: ‘We didn’t test memory or thinking skills directly, but our work raises questions about whether this drug could one day help tackle wider menopause-related health problems.’
The treatment’s prospects as a future drug also got a boost from safety testing.
Experiments with mice, rats and dogs showed that CADD522 could be taken orally and was well tolerated.
The team also found that the drug was metabolized more slowly in human tissue than in rodents, potentially improving performance in humans.
Dr. Green added: ‘This is still in its early stages and has only been tested on animals so far, but we hope the benefits will translate to humans to ultimately reduce the number of fractures.’
