A new combination of therapies improves the effectiveness of treatments against several aggressive cancers

Researchers at Cima University of Navarra have developed a triple drug combination that improves the efficacy of immunotherapy in various solid tumors, prolonging survival in animal models of lung, colorectal, breast, pancreatic, melanoma, and glioblastoma cancer.

This is noted by the Center for Applied Medical Research (Cima) in a note, explaining that epigenetic therapies (aimed at modifying molecular processes that regulate gene expression) have revolutionized the treatment of hematological diseases, but have not demonstrated efficacy in most solid tumors.

Lung, colon, breast, brain cancers...

"Previous studies had confirmed that combining it with cell death-inducing drugs, such as BCL-XL inhibitors, improved therapeutic outcomes in myelomas and lymphomas , but not in solid tumors," notes expert Rubén Pío.

However, in their study, integrated into the Cancer Center of the University of Navarra Clinic (CCUN), they have shown that this joint administration "sensitizes lung tumors to immune checkpoint blockade , a novel strategy in cancer immunotherapy," says Pío, director of the Cancer Division at Cima University of Navarra and scientific director of CCUN.

In this work, researchers have focused on finding new therapeutic alternatives for solid tumors with few therapeutic options.

"Reduces tumor growth"

"Our study demonstrates that a novel drug combination reduces tumor growth and prolongs overall survival in animal models of lung, colorectal, breast, melanoma, and glioblastoma cancer, as well as in a human colon cancer model," he notes.

This therapeutic combination includes the drug CM272 , developed at Cima by the group of Dr. Felipe Prósper, another of the collaborators in the research, whose results have been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Molecular Cancer.

Analysis of the tumor microenvironment using flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing showed potent immune reprogramming . "Our results suggest that this drug combination not only promotes tumor death, but also paves the way for the immune system to act more effectively, which guides the development of new therapies that should be evaluated in the clinical setting," the researchers conclude.

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