US Researchers Discover a New Molecule that Kills the Deadliest Cancers
A small-scale drug trial in the United States of America recently made headlines when all of its subjects' rectal cancer went into remission after being treated with the drug dostarlimab. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, detailed how all 12 patients with rectal cancer had their cancer disappear.
Another medical breakthrough making headlines is the discovery of a new compound that has been shown to kill a wide range of cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, while avoiding healthy cells. The study was conducted in isolated cells on human cancer tissue and on human cancers grown in mice.
ERX-41 Kills Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Effectively
Dr. Jung-Mo Ahn and his colleagues investigated the therapeutic effects of ERX-41 on breast cancer cells with and without oestrogen receptors (ERs). Both ER-positive and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells were killed by the novel compound.
TNBC is known to have the worst outcomes of any type of breast cancer, and there are only a few treatment options available. It is more common in women under the age of 40 and lacks oestrogen, progesterone, and human epidermal growth factor 2 receptors.
A Targeted Approach to Cancer Cell Killing
Further investigation revealed that ERX-41 binds to a cellular protein known as lysosomal acid lipase A (LIPA), which serves as a viable molecular target in TNBC. LIPA is found in the endoplasmic reticulum, a cell structure. By binding to LIPA, ERX-41 inhibits protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, causing it to bloat and cause cell death. As a result of inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress, which resulted in cell death, the study suggests a targeted strategy for solid tumours.
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It was also discovered that ERX-41 was effective against other types of cancer with elevated endoplasmic reticulum stress, such as difficult-to-treat pancreatic and ovarian cancers, glioblastoma, and the most aggressive primary brain cancer.