New 'master switch' linked to aggressive breast cancer, with drug shown to slow tumor growth
Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have identified a 'master switch' responsible for driving tumor growth in an aggressive form of breast cancer. Blocking the switch with a targeted drug was also found to reduce cancer cell growth and spread.
Researchers at Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine have discovered a master regulator, DP103, linked to aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) growth and spread. The study, published in Cell Death & Disease, reveals that blocking DP103 with a targeted drug, RX-5902, reduces cancer stem cell viability by 40-60% and slows tumor growth by about 50%.
RP Prem Kumar, the lead investigator, explains that DP103 could act as a diagnostic biomarker to identify patients with high DP103 levels who may benefit most from RX-5902 treatment. The drug, a first-of-its-kind oral targeted therapy, works by blocking a key cancer-promoting pathway in TNBC, ultimately triggering apoptosis in cancer cells.
The research team, including collaborators from various institutions, plans to further validate DP103 as a predictive biomarker and explore combination treatments with existing therapies.
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