{"id":28452,"date":"2022-11-11T09:30:41","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T09:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=24863"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:13:12","slug":"repurposing-radiotherapy-drugs-could-give-immunotherapy-a-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/repurposing-radiotherapy-drugs-could-give-immunotherapy-a-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"Repurposing radiotherapy drugs could give immunotherapy a boost"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"T<\/div>\n

Immunotherapy<\/span><\/a> works by helping the body\u2019s immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

There are several different types of immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and, in this case, checkpoint inhibitors.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Checkpoint inhibitors block specific proteins on the surface of immune cells called T cells. Blocking these proteins help T cells to recognise cancer cells as abnormal, boosting the immune response against them.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But for this treatment to be effective, the T cells need to be able to infiltrate the tumour. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

In a lot of cancers, cells called cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) form a protective layer around the tumour, preventing the immune system from attacking it.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Professor Gareth Thomas<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Prof-Gareth-Thomas-2.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Prof-Gareth-Thomas-2.jpg” class=” size-full wp-image-24852″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Prof-Gareth-Thomas-2.jpg” alt=”Professor Gareth Thomas” width=”150″ height=”150″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Prof-Gareth-Thomas-2.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Prof-Gareth-Thomas-2-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px”><\/p>

Professor Gareth Thomas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Led by Professor Gareth Thomas, researchers at the University of Southampton have found<\/span> <\/span>a way to prevent these CAFs forming, giving the immune system a better chance of targeting and killing the cancer cells.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImmunotherapy for cancer has been a very exciting development but still doesn\u2019t work in most patients,\u201d said Thomas, a professor of experimental pathology. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of those patients will have tumours with high levels of CAFs, which are preventing the T-cells from reaching the tumours.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we can prevent this CAF formation, we can overcome immunotherapy resistance.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Breaking the barrier<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Fibroblasts are normal cells that form part of connective tissues in our bodies. When a tumour begins to grow, cancer cells hijack fibroblasts to become CAFs to protect themselves from the immune system. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

That means that even when immunotherapy gives the immune system a boost, it can\u2019t attack and kill the tumour cells because they use CAFs as shield.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing that CAFs are the issue is a good start in overcoming the resistance to immunotherapy, but the problem is we don\u2019t currently know how to stop fibroblasts being turned into these tumour-protective CAFs.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But thanks to this new research, that\u2019s about to change.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas and his team found that a protein called ATM, which usually regulates DNA repair in cells, controls the formation of CAFs when a tumour grows. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, by blocking the function of this protein, we can stop CAFs from forming and boost the chances of immunotherapy working successfully.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s not where the good news ends: drugs that block ATM have already been developed for another purpose. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

These drugs, called ATM inhibitors, were made to sensitise cancer cells to radiotherapy. Their potential to improve people\u2019s response to radiotherapy is currently being evaluated in clinical trials.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

That means that there\u2019s no need for a long drug development process. Instead, we might be able to start testing the effects of ATM inhibitors combined with immunotherapy sooner rather than later. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s really exciting about this is that we\u2019ve identified a drug that already exists,\u201d Thomas adds. \u201cCompanies have already developed ATM inhibitors for a different purpose, so we don\u2019t need to spend time developing a drug and we could take this straight to testing.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very excited about this.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\n
Shane with his wife Denise, daughter Molly and son Jack on Jack\u2019s wedding day.<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Shane-McCormick-on-his-sons-wedding-day-summer-2022-with-wife-Denise-daughter-Molly-and-son-Jack.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Shane-McCormick-on-his-sons-wedding-day-summer-2022-with-wife-Denise-daughter-Molly-and-son-Jack.jpg” loading=”lazy” class=” size-full wp-image-24851″ src=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Shane-McCormick-on-his-sons-wedding-day-summer-2022-with-wife-Denise-daughter-Molly-and-son-Jack.jpg” alt=”Shane with his family on his son’s wedding day” width=”150″ height=”150″ srcset=”https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Shane-McCormick-on-his-sons-wedding-day-summer-2022-with-wife-Denise-daughter-Molly-and-son-Jack.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Shane-McCormick-on-his-sons-wedding-day-summer-2022-with-wife-Denise-daughter-Molly-and-son-Jack-96×96.jpg 96w” sizes=”(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px”><\/p>

Shane with his wife Denise, daughter Molly and son Jack on Jack\u2019s wedding day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Shane\u2019s Story<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

Shane McCormick, a father-of-two from Fair Oak, says he is proof that immunotherapy saves lives. The 47-year-old landscaper was diagnosed with <\/span>melanoma<\/span><\/a> in 2018 and received immunotherapy treatment when doctors discovered it had spread to his lymph nodes in 2019, just before Christmas. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I received my diagnosis I was so worried about my future but now I class myself as one of the lucky ones,\u201d he says.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to the immunotherapy my scans are clear of cancer. My wife Denise and I have just celebrated our 25<\/span>th<\/span> wedding anniversary and I was best man at my son\u2019s wedding. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me feel quite emotional to think that other people may now get to have the same chance as me and be able to live longer and spend more time with their families. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI ran the London Marathon three months after completing my treatment and do Race for Life and other challenges to give something back and support research like this. And this discovery is a medical marvel that will potentially save lives.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bringing benefits to patients<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

As the results, published today in <\/span>Cancer Research<\/span><\/i>,<\/span> are based on findings in the lab, the team\u2019s next step will be to develop a clinical trial that will see the research translate from bench to bedside. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

But whilst it\u2019s still in early stages, research like this, that offers key insights into how we might overcome resistance to immunotherapy<\/span>,<\/span> could lead to better chances for people undergoing these types of treatments.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cResearch is a real roller coaster,\u201d Thomas concludes, reflecting on the six-year study.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are lots of highs and there are also lots of lows. But when something does come together, you\u2019re excited because you think perhaps it could make a difference. That makes it all worthwhile.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Jacob<\/em><\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Immunotherapy works by helping the body\u2019s immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. There are several different types of immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and, in this case, checkpoint inhibitors. Checkpoint inhibitors block specific proteins on the surface of immune cells called T cells. Blocking these proteins help T cells to recognise cancer cells as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28452"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44809,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28452\/revisions\/44809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}