Less Toxic Cancer Treatment: Researchers at Duke University Discover Promising Antibody Therapy for Targeting Mutations in Cancer Cells

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Millions of cancer cases are diagnosed every year worldwide, and yet common treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy used to target cancer cells, have serious side effects.

Now, researchers at Duke University have described an approach they say is less toxic than current therapies, according to Euronews Next.

They published their research in the journal Immunity.

“This is a proof-of-concept study, but the results are very promising,” said Jose Conejo-Garcia, professor of immunology at Duke University.

The study focused on a particular type of antibody called dimeric IgA (digA), one of the forms of immunoglobulin A, the most common antibody that can be found in mucous membranes such as the gut.

This antibody could be used to target mutations in a protein in cancer cells.

In this case, the researchers targeted a KRAS G12D mutation.

Normally, the KRAS gene helps control cell growth, but when it’s mutated, it gets stuck in the “on” position, causing cells to grow and divide uncontrollably.

This leads to cancer because cells keep multiplying when they shouldn’t. KRAS mutations are present in many types of cancer and make the cancer more aggressive and harder to treat.

How does it work?

dIgA binds to the mutant proteins to take them out of the cell through a process called transcytosis. This is when a cell receives something from the outside, transports it through the cell, and then releases it on the other side.

“This is a new way to target tumor cells by using an antibody that is highly specific for point mutations or molecules that are really specific to tumors,” Conejo-Garcia said in a statement.

“By neutralizing them and ensuring that these tumor-promoting molecules are expelled out of the cell, we can stop tumors from growing.”

When tested on mice with lung and colon cancer, the KRAS G12D-specific antibody was more effective in shrinking tumors than current treatments.

The researchers found similar results with another cancerous mutationIDH1 R132H.

“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,” Conejo-Garcia said.

The immune system can specifically target tumor cells and can also remember those cells to mount a more effective attack if the cancer returns, according to a Duke University news release.

Researchers are perfecting the antibody to make it easier to produce and administer to patients, to eventually test it in clinical trials, the statement added.

According to the researchers, these antibodies have the potential to be used as mutation-targeted therapy for a multitude of cancers, such as ovarian, skin, colon, cervical, prostate, breast and lung cancer.

2023-10-31 14:52:51
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