Antibodies transporting drug: a chance in the fight against lung cancer
Researchers have shown that monoclonal antibodies bound to cytotoxic drug may prevent the proliferation of lung cancer cells. So far, studies have been carried out in mice. Photo: V. Altounian / Science Translational Medicine
Monoclonal antibodies bound to cytotoxic drug can stop the proliferation of lung cancer cells - showed international research team involving scientists from Gdańsk. For now, research was conducted on mice. The results are promising.
The study was published in late August in the journal "Science Translational Medicine".
Team member, Prof. Jacek Jassem of the Medical University of Gdańsk said in an interview with PAP that the study concerns two types of neuroendocrine lung cancer: small cell lung cancer, and large cell lung cancer, representing about 20 percent of the total number of lung cancers. "While progress has been made in the treatment of other types of lung cancer, in the case of these two histological forms, for several decades we have failed to find new drugs" - admitted Prof. Jassem. He explained that chemotherapy is routinely used in the case of small cell lung cancer. In general this leads to tumour remission, but it lasts only a few dozen months. Large cell carcinoma in the early stage of the disease is treated with surgery, however most patients are not eligible for surgery already at diagnosis.
The researchers found that cancer cells in these two types of lung cancer are different from normal cells in that they have a large amount of DLL3 protein on their surface. The concentration of the substance in the tumour is tens of times higher than in normal cells. Scientists decided to use this phenomenon, and develop an antibody that would bind to this protein and deliver an anticancer drug directly into the cells of lung cancer.
Scientists were successful. First, they have developed an antibody that binds almost exclusively with the DLL3 antigen present on the surface of lung cancer cells and conditioning their development. They then combined this protein with an anti-cancer drug that prevents the division of cancer cells by inhibiting DNA replication. "We lead a drug to the tumour cell as if on a string" - said Prof. Jassem. He explained that the fact that the drug is released locally, enhances its performance. Meanwhile, when the drug was used systemically, the effectiveness of treatment was minimal.
"We did not know whether the drug attached to an antibody would bring the desired effect. But the results of studies in mice are very promising: the drug has a surprisingly high activity in primary cancer cells, in relapsed and metastatic cells" - noted the researcher. At the moment indications are that the toxicity of treatment is small. "I do not know, however, whether the same effect can be obtained in humans" - admitted the researcher. In the near future, the first clinical trials in patients with advanced lung cancer will begin. Prof. Jassem makes efforts to secure the participation of Polish centres.
The scientist explained that the Polish team was invited to cooperate in the research also because of the repository of small cell lung cancer collected at the Medical University of Gdańsk. "This collection is unique in the world, because surgical treatment is rarely used in this form of lung cancer - noted Prof. Jassem. - We have been collected the material for about twenty years. We used it before in several other projects. It was also the subject of doctoral thesis of one of my colleagues, Dr. Andrzej Badzio, who is now a member of our research team. "The third Polish researcher in this team is a young pathologist from the Medical University of Gdańsk, Dr. Piotr Czapiewski. "Our material allowed to verify the presence of DLL3 protein in lung cancer cells in humans" - noted the researcher. He added that the Americans conducted research on cell lines and human tumours transplanted into mice (xenografts). "In these studies, we must check for the presence of these disorders on several platforms, including the material obtained from humans" - said the oncologist.
Lung cancer in Poland is the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. Of the total number of patients, only 10-15 percent can be saved. Approx. 20 thousand. people per year die of lung cancer in Poland. "Lung cancer is 90 percent linked to smoking, so it\'s a bit of a tumour on request. We can effectively prevent its development, and less effectively treat it. And we continue to try to educate the public" - said Prof. Jassem.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland, Ludwika Tomala
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