Bromopyruvic acid, or bromopyruvate, is a synthetic brominated derivative of pyruvic acid. It is being studied as a potential treatment for certain types of cancer. Initial studies in laboratory animals researchers at Johns Hopkins showed that bromopyruvic acid is effective at eliminating aggressive liver tumors.
According to the Warburg hypothesis, unlike normal tissues, which derive most of their energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by metabolizing either glucose or fatty acids for energy production in the mitochondria, aggressive cancers obtain much of their ATP by metabolizing glucose directly to lactic acid. The mechanism of action of bromopyruvic acid involves interruption of this latter process by the inhibition of the enzyme hexokinase II because the bromopyruvic acid is similar in chemical structure to lactic acid.
A study reported that intra-arterial delivery of bromopyruvic acid directly to the site of a tumor represents a new strategy for stopping the growth of liver cancer while minimizing toxic side-effects.
While pre-clinical studies have been promising, human clinical trials to study the effectiveness of bromopyruvic acid have not yet begun. Application for patent has already been submitted.
On February 11, 2012, the first institutional use of 3-bromopyruvate to treat a patient with late stage cancer was reported in an Online First paper published in the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes. The patient was treated at the Klinikum der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität in Frankfurt am Main by Dr. Thomas J. Vogl using a special patented formulation of 3-bromopyruvate invented by Dr. Young Hee Ko, who assisted in the intra-arterial administration of her drug.