The new approach, detailed in the journal Cancer Discovery, includes LB-100, currently in clinical trials for lung tumours, and WEE1 inhibitors, which prevent tumour DNA repair. The drug combo works by hyperactivating cancer cells to induce stress, making them more susceptible to targeted attack.
The study reveals that the treatment's effectiveness is due to hyperactivating tumour cell signalling, stressing the cells rather than directly inhibiting them. This stress makes the cancer cells vulnerable to specific drugs targeting cells in this heightened state, said Matheus Henrique Dias, a senior postdoctoral fellow at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI).
The dual approach was successful in animal models with colorectal cancer and showed promise for other aggressive cancers like pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.
The therapy is set to be tested in colorectal cancer patients in the Netherlands later this year, and will be the market as options for cancer treatment in the coming years, said Dias.
He noted that "this is a growing research field" and to develop this kind of drug many "large corporations are investing in signalling activators and startups are being founded."
The researchers also plan to extend this strategy to target parasites causing neglected tropical diseases, aiming to eliminate them without harming host cells.
