A new dual-drug therapy shows promise in treating cancer

New Delhi, July 28: An innovative treatment strategy combining two drugs has shown significant potential to suppress tumours using an unconventional method. Detailed in the journal Cancer Discovery, the approach involves the use of LB-100, currently in clinical trials for lung tumours, and WEE1 inhibitors, which prevent tumour DNA repair. This drug combination works by hyperactivating cancer cells, inducing stress and making them more susceptible to targeted attacks.

The study highlights that the treatment’s effectiveness is due to the hyperactivation of tumor cell signaling, stressing them rather than directly inhibiting them. This stress makes cancer cells more vulnerable to specific drugs that target cells in this heightened state, explained Matheus Henrique Dias, a senior postdoctoral researcher at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI).

The dual approach has proven successful in animal models of colorectal cancer and has shown promise for other aggressive cancers, such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. The therapy is scheduled to be tested in colorectal cancer patients in the Netherlands later this year and is expected to become a viable option for cancer treatment in the coming years, Dias said.

“This is a growing field of research,” Dias said, adding that many large corporations are investing in signaling activators and new companies are being founded to develop such drugs.

The researchers also plan to extend this strategy to target parasites that cause neglected tropical diseases, with the goal of eliminating them without harming host cells.