London scientists develop 'smart' drug that wipes out 95 per cent of cancer without toxic side effects

A miracle drug developed in London has successfully wiped out 95 per cent of a patient's cancer in a world-first trial for multiple myeloma.

The breakthrough comes from Imperial College London, where researchers have identified a way to kill blood cancer cells without making patients suffer the brutal side effects of chemotherapy. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that affects 200,000 people globally every year. Until now, it has remained incurable, with most patients eventually becoming resistant to standard drugs.

However, the new drug candidate, known as DTP3, is changing the game. In a Phase 1 trial involving 15 patients, the drug proved to be "first-in-class," meaning it works in a way no other medicine has before.

The data shows a 95 per cent reduction in cancer burden for a patient who had stopped responding to all other treatments

This is a "wow" moment for UK science because the treatment achieved these results with zero toxicity. Usually, cancer drugs are like a sledgehammer that hits everything in their path. DTP3 is more like a silent assassin that only looks for the "bad guys."

It works by targeting a specific survival switch that multiple myeloma cells "hijack" to stay alive. By uncoupling two proteins—GADD45β and MKK7—the drug forces the cancer cells to follow their own genetic instructions to self-destruct.

This process, called apoptosis, kills the cancer while leaving healthy cells completely unharmed

Because the drug doesn't harm healthy tissue, it was well tolerated at doses up to 45 mg per kg of body weight. This is a massive win for patient safety. It means that in the future, fighting cancer might not involve the hair loss and nausea we have come to expect from chemo.

Professor Guido Franzoso, the lead researcher, explained that the goal is to create a "drug cocktail." By mixing DTP3 with other non-toxic treatments, doctors hope to hit multiple myeloma from so many angles that it becomes "statistically impossible" for the disease to survive.

The trial has now moved into Phase 2a. Hospitals in Leeds, Cardiff, and Southampton are currently recruiting patients to see if these incredible results can be repeated on a larger scale. For the thousands of families currently facing a multiple myeloma diagnosis, this London-born breakthrough offers a kinder, safer path toward a cure.

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OFFICIAL SOURCE VERIFICATION: This report is based on official data from University Newsroom. Document: First-in-class drug candidate for multiple myeloma shows promise in Phase 1 trial Source Link: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/articles/2026/first-in-class-drug-candidate-for-multiple-myeloma-shows-promise-in-phase-1-trial/