Now In Trials

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

This story is a supplement to the feature "Could Our Own Proteins Be Used to Help Us Fight Cancer?" which was printed in the July 2008 issue of Scientific American.

A number of drugs currently in clinical trials would fight disease by taking advantage of the diverse functions of heat shock proteins. Some seek to inhibit the proteins, others to induce them, depending on the disorder and the HSP that is being employed or targeted.

Treatment Mechanism

	Inhibitor of HSPs
(compound able to block the functioning of HSPs that would normally help a cancer cell, virus-infected cell or pathogenic bacterium to survive)

	Induction of HSPs
(heat or chemicals able to induce a patient's own HSPs to protect an organ during surgical or other treatments)

	Vaccine/Immunotherapy
(antigenic HSP-peptide complexes that are purified, then introduced into the body to stimulate an immune response to a tumor or pathogen)

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

HSP	TREATMENT (MANUFACTURER)	DISORDER
HSP90		Alvespimycin (Kosan Biosciences)	Breast cancer
	Tanespimycin (Kosan Biosciences)	Leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors
	CNF 2024 (Biogen Idec)
	SNX-5422 mesylate (Serenex)
	AUY-922 (Novartis)	Solid tumors
	IPI-504 (Infinity Pharmaceuticals)	Melanoma, prostate cancer
	BIIB021 (Biogen Idec)	Leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumors
HSP27		OGX-427 (OncoGenex Technologies)	Solid tumors
Various		Radio-frequency therapy	Melanoma
HSP65		HspE7 (Nventa Biopharmaceuticals)	Precancerous cervical cells infected with human papillomavirus
HSP70		AG-707 (Anitgenics)	Herpes simplex type 2
	HSPPC-70/AG-858 (Antigenics)	Chronic myeloid leukemia
HSP65		HSPPC-96/vitespen* (Antigenics)	Solid tumors
*Approved for clinical use in Russia

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American