U Of I Canine Cancer Drug To Be Tried On People

An anti-cancer drug for dogs is being tested at the University of Illinois and it's showing some promise.

Chemistry Professor Paul Hergenrother developed the drug compound known as PAC-1 in 2005 and has been testing it since then. He told The News-Gazette in Champaign that the drug has helped many of the dogs involved in the research.

Now the professor is getting ready to find out if the drug works on humans.

The drug essentially causes cancer cells to self-destruct.

Phil Meyer of Springfield believes his golden retriever, Blaze, likely lived with cancer a year or year and a half longer than she otherwise would have because of the drug.

Human trials will be conducted on patients with brain cancer.