Research & Development World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Combination treatment strategy to “checkmate” giloblastoma

By R&D Editors | May 11, 2015

Normal cell dividing (left) and stressed cancer cell dividing (right). PLK1 inhibitors stress cancer cells, making them easier to kill.Therapies that specifically target mutations in a person’s cancer have been much-heralded in recent years, yet cancer cells often find a way around them. To address this, researchers at Univ. of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center identified a promising combinatorial approach to treating glioblastomas, the most common form of primary brain cancer.

The study, published by Oncotarget, demonstrates that a mouse model of glioblastoma and human glioblastoma tissue removed from patients and cultured in the lab can be effectively treated by combining three classes of anti-cancer drugs: a drug that targets a cancer mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, a drug that increases stress in cancer cells and a drug that damages cancer cell DNA.

“Developing therapies against glioblastoma is like a chess game. For each therapy administered, or move, by the physician, the cancer makes a counter-move,” said senior author Clark Chen, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurosurgery and vice-chair of Research and Academic Development at UC San Diego.

In up to 50% of glioblastomas, mutations in the EGFR gene render cancer cells insensitive to growth regulation by environmental cues, allowing them to grow uncontrollably. Yet highly specific EGFR inhibitors are not particularly effective against glioblastomas with EGFR mutations.

“When glioblastoma cells are treated with EGFR inhibitors, they turn on another receptor to bypass the need for EGFR,” said Chen. “Any hope of an effective treatment requires a combination of moves strategically designed for a checkmate.”

To develop such a strategy, Chen and his group turned to PLK1, a protein that regulates stress levels within glioblastoma cells and is essential for their survival. Chen and his group found that glioblastoma cells that developed resistance to EGFR inhibitors remain universally dependent on this protein.

In mouse models of glioblastoma and in explants of human glioblastoma, singular treatment with an EGFR inhibitor, a PLK1 inhibitor or the current standard of care drug (a DNA-damaging agent), each temporarily halted glioblastoma growth. But, like the human disease, the tumor eventually grew back. However, no detectable tumor recurrence was observed when a combination of all three classes of drugs was administered. The treated mice tolerated this combination regimen without showing significant side-effects.

“It is often assumed that if we find the cancer-causing mutation and inhibit the function of that mutation, we will be able to cure cancer,” said study co-author Bob S. Carter, MD, PhD, chief of neurosurgery at UC San Diego. “Our study demonstrates that the reality is far more complex. Our results provide a blueprint for how to leverage fundamental biologic concepts to tackle this challenging complexity.”

The three drugs administered to mice in this study were: BI2536, a PLK1 inhibitor; Gefitnib, an EGFR inhibitor; and TMZ, the standard-of-care chemotherapy for glioblastoma. The study authors note that while the safety or side effects of treating human patients will all three drugs is unknown, all are individually well-tolerated in humans. The clinical safety profiles of Gefitinib and TMZ are well-established for glioblastoma patients and PLK1 inhibitors have so far been well-tolerated in clinical trials (one has advanced to Phase III clinical trials for acute myeloid leukemia).

Source: Univ. of California, San Diego

Related Articles Read More >

Eli Lilly facility
9 R&D developments this week: Lilly builds major R&D center, Stratolaunch tests hypersonic craft, IBM chief urges AI R&D funding
professional photo of wooly mammoth in nature --ar 2:1 --personalize sq85hce --v 6.1 Job ID: 47185eaa-b213-4624-8bee-44f9e882feaa
Why science ethicists are sounding skepticism and alarm on ‘de-extinction’
ALAFIA system speeds complex molecular simulations for University of Miami drug research
3d rendered illustration of the anatomy of a cancer cell
Funding flows to obesity, oncology and immunology: 2024 sales data show where science is paying off
rd newsletter
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, trends, and strategies in Research & Development.
RD 25 Power Index

R&D World Digital Issues

Fall 2024 issue

Browse the most current issue of R&D World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading R&D magazine today.

Research & Development World
  • Subscribe to R&D World Magazine
  • Enews Sign Up
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Drug Discovery & Development
  • Pharmaceutical Processing
  • Global Funding Forecast

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search R&D World

  • R&D World Home
  • Topics
    • Aerospace
    • Automotive
    • Biotech
    • Careers
    • Chemistry
    • Environment
    • Energy
    • Life Science
    • Material Science
    • R&D Management
    • Physics
  • Technology
    • 3D Printing
    • A.I./Robotics
    • Software
    • Battery Technology
    • Controlled Environments
      • Cleanrooms
      • Graphene
      • Lasers
      • Regulations/Standards
      • Sensors
    • Imaging
    • Nanotechnology
    • Scientific Computing
      • Big Data
      • HPC/Supercomputing
      • Informatics
      • Security
    • Semiconductors
  • R&D Market Pulse
  • R&D 100
    • Call for Nominations: The 2025 R&D 100 Awards
    • R&D 100 Awards Event
    • R&D 100 Submissions
    • Winner Archive
    • Explore the 2024 R&D 100 award winners and finalists
  • Resources
    • Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • R&D Index
    • Subscribe
    • Video
    • Webinars
  • Global Funding Forecast
  • Top Labs
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE