2023-10-30 17:07:05
For too long, cancer treatment has been a double-edged sword: the same treatments designed to kill cancer cells are also capable of wreaking havoc on healthy ones.
Now, a new study published ‘Immunity‘, reveals an approach to cancer treatment that is more precise, long-lasting and less toxic than current therapies.
The work, directed by the researcher of the Duke University School of MedicineJosé Ramón Conejo-García, focuses on the innovative use of IGA antibodies to target and destroy tumor-promoting molecules, which lie deep within cancer cells and have long eluded existing treatment options, including treatment with IGA antibodies.
“This is a proof-of-concept study, but the results are very promising,” says Conejo-García. “We believe this treatment could be used to target a wide range of cancer mutations.”
Early experiments in mice with lung and colon cancer revealed notable reductions in tumor growth and minimal side effects.
The study focused on a particular type of antibody called dimeric IgA (digA). Its special structure allows it to target specific mutations related to PIGR, a protein expressed on the surface of virtually all epithelial cancer cells that contributes to the growth and survival of cancer cells.
One of those mutations, KRAS G12D, is a known precursor to the deadliest cancers.. The study revealed that digA binds to mutated and rogue proteins and then expels them from the cell in a process called transcytosis, stopping tumor growth.
When tested in mice, the KRAS-specific antibody G12D was more effective at shrinking cancerous tumors than current treatments in clinical trials. Small molecule treatments often have difficulty reaching certain cancer cells, have short half-lives, and can cause side effects.
The researchers found similar results with another cancer mutation, IDH1 R132H, which is found deep in cancer cells.
Scientists have struggled to target the mutated KRAS protein, but the new findings suggest the uniquely designed antibody can reach these intracellular molecules.
According to the researchers, IGA antibodies have the potential to be used as a targeted therapy against rogue mutations that cause common and aggressive cancers, particularly epithelial cancers such as ovary, skin, colon, cervix, prostate, breast and lung.
The immune system is the only one that has two key properties that make it ideal for cancer treatment: specificity and memory
«This is a new way to attack tumor cells by using an antibody that is exquisitely specific for point mutations or molecules that are truly tumor-specific.», says Conejo-García. “By neutralizing them and ensuring that these tumor-promoting molecules are expelled from the cell, we can stop tumor growth.”
Throughout his career, Conejo-García has researched ways to improve our body’s defense system, the immune system, to combat certain types of cancer.
Future treatments
The results offer a glimpse into future cancer treatments that are more personalized, reduce damage to healthy cells and improve patients’ quality of life.
IGA antibodies are just one part of the innovative field of immunotherapy. Treatments such as PD-1 inhibitors and CAR T cells have demonstrated unprecedented long-lasting cancer remissions.
“The immune system is the only system in the body that has two key properties that make it ideal for cancer treatment: specificity and memory,” says Conejo-García. “The immune system can specifically attack tumor cells and can also remember those cells to mount a more effective attack if the cancer returns.”
Researchers are refining the antibody to make it easier to produce and administer to patients, with the goal of eventually testing it in clinical trials.
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