U.S. Researchers Develop Experimental Treatment to Overcome Cancer Cell Resistance
Researchers in the United States have developed an experimental compound that could represent a promising step toward overcoming one of the greatest challenges in cancer treatment. The compound has demonstrated the ability to disrupt the mechanisms that cancer cells use to survive and resist existing therapies.
According to laboratory study findings, the compound, known as CS18, significantly reduced tumors’ ability to resist anti-cancer drugs. It also restored the sensitivity of certain lung cancer cells to a treatment that had gradually lost its effectiveness over time.
The study, published in the scientific journal Science Advances, emphasizes that the compound remains in the preclinical stage and has not yet been tested in humans to assess its safety and efficacy.
The study’s lead author, Wei Chen Lin, Professor of Hematology and Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine, explained that many cancer relapses occur because cancer cells activate alternative biological pathways that reduce the effectiveness of treatments. The research team therefore focused on targeting a key mechanism involved in several processes related to tumor growth and drug resistance.
The researchers concentrated on a protein called TopBP1, which plays a critical role in regulating the cellular response to DNA damage. The compound targets a specific region of this protein that interacts with cancer-promoting proteins, including MYC and mutated forms of the p53 protein. This approach reduced their activity while enhancing the expression of genes responsible for suppressing abnormal cell growth.
The experiments showed that the compound restored the sensitivity of resistant lung cancer cells to osimertinib, a drug used to treat tumors associated with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Animal studies also revealed a significant reduction in tumor growth without clear signs of severe toxicity, raising hopes that the compound could eventually lead to the development of a new cancer treatment.
