What it is
PNC-27 is a peptide made of 32 amino acids. It is made in a lab. It joins two pieces together. The first piece copies part of p53, a protein that tells damaged cells to die. That part of p53 attaches to a protein called HDM-2. The second piece helps the peptide pass into cell membranes. Scientists at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York built it. Many cancer cells carry HDM-2 on their outer surface. Normal cells do not. PNC-27 attaches to that surface HDM-2 and punches holes in the cell. The cell then bursts. Other names: PNC27, p53-Penetratin Chimeric Peptide.
What researchers study it for
- Killing cancer cells in lab dishes
- Why it spares normal cells
- Cancer cells that have no working p53
- Pairing with the cancer drug paclitaxel in mice
- How it damages mitochondria inside cancer cells
What the studies found
1. Surface HDM-2 decides which cells it kills.
A 2010 study found HDM-2 in the outer membrane of several cancer cell lines but not in normal cells. PNC-27 attached to that HDM-2. Normal breast cells did not die from PNC-27. When researchers forced HDM-2 onto the surface of those normal cells, PNC-27 killed them. This showed surface HDM-2 is the target. Lab cells only.
2. Both pieces have to be joined for it to work.
A 2010 study tested each half of PNC-27 on its own. The p53 piece alone did nothing. The membrane piece alone did nothing. Both pieces mixed but not joined also did nothing. Only the joined peptide burst the cancer cells. Lab cells only.
3. It killed leukemia cells that have no p53.
A 2014 study used K562 cells, a leukemia cell line that makes no p53. PNC-27 killed nearly all of them. Normal white blood cells were not harmed at any amount tested. This shows it does not need the cell's own p53 to work. Lab cells only.
4. It worked with paclitaxel against ovarian cancer in mice.
Paclitaxel is a common cancer drug. In a 2017 study, ovarian cancer cells that survived paclitaxel had more HDM-2 on their surface. Those cells were easier for PNC-27 to kill. The two drugs together killed more cells than either alone. In mice, adding PNC-27 to paclitaxel slowed tumor growth more. Lab cell and mouse data.
5. It also broke open mitochondria inside cancer cells.
A 2024 study used pancreatic cancer cells. After attaching to the cell surface, PNC-27 moved inside. It attached to mitochondria, the parts of the cell that make energy, and damaged them. Other cell parts were left alone. Lab cells only.
How much research exists
A set of lab cell studies and one mouse study. Almost all come from the research group that invented it, which holds patents on it. No outside lab has repeated the mouse results. No human trial has been published.
Facts
- Formula: C188H293N53O44S
- Weight: about 4032 g/mol
- CAS number: 1159861-00-3 (could not confirm)
- Sequence: PPLSQETFSDLWKLLKKWKMRRNQFWVKVQRG
- Time in the blood: never measured
- Storage: powder in the freezer.
Legal status
Not approved by the FDA or any other agency for any use. In 2017 the FDA warned people not to buy PNC-27 sold online as a cancer treatment. FDA testing found bacteria in samples of the product.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.