Mitchell Gross, left, and Jean Shih are working on a pilot study of the MAO inhibitor phenelzine to treat men with recurrent prostate cancer. (Photos/Phil Channing and Isaac Mora)

PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a biomarker that could indicate the presence of prostate cancer. If a man has elevated levels of PSA in his bloodstream, further tests and possibly treatment could be warranted.

A new pilot study at USC shows the potential for a drug to reduce PSA: In 11 of the 20 participants, there was a measurable decline in PSA – including one who showed a 74% drop – thanks to a drug called phenelzine.

Here’s the surprising part: Phenelzine, an antidepressant, has been around for a very long time. It’s been studied for 40 years by Jean Shih, PhD, a university professor in the School of Pharmacy. She and Mitchell Gross, MD, PhD, a medical oncologist and research director of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine of USC, have collaborated for several years to bring Shih’s research out of the lab and into a clinical trial.

“If our findings are confirmed, this could part of a new avenue for patients that could avoid undesirable side effects of standard therapies,” said Ellison, the first author of a new study published in the research journal Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases.

Read more:

https://news.usc.edu/166277/antidepressant-prostate-cancer-mao-inhibitor-phenelzine/