Candidate breast cancer drug overloads tumors with “surge” of toxic lipids

By Eric Hamilton

An experimental drug targeting triple-negative breast cancer overwhelms cancer cells with toxic fats, according to new tests on human-derived tumors in mice. Triple-negative breast cancer lacks three common drug targets, making it one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.

The compound, known as DH20931, appears to push cancer cells past their limits by triggering a surge in fat-like molecules called ceramides. Already under stress, the cells cannot cope and ultimately self-destruct.

In lab experiments, the drug also made standard chemotherapy more effective. When combined with the commonly used drug doxorubicin, researchers were able to reduce the dose needed to kill cancer cells by about fivefold.

The drug targets an enzyme known as CerS2 to dramatically increase the production of these lipids to stress cancer cells. Healthy cells, by contrast, showed lower sensitivity to the drug in lab tests.

While the early results are promising, it would take additional preclinical and clinical trials to determine the safety and effectiveness of DH20931 as a potential cancer drug for humans.
 

Karen L. Kelley and Mary Gragg of ICBR Electron Microscopy assisted with the TEM imaging on this publication

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