Drug Targets Cold Tumors’ Achilles Heel

Immunotherapies have emerged as a powerful treatment modality for cancer. They join chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and other targeted therapies as the “fifth pillar” of cancer therapies. These treatments involve the use of vaccines, cell therapies, and antibodies to activate patients’ immune systems to attack and destroy tumors.

Despite their immense potential, immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors are no match against certain solid tumors termed “cold tumors”. Just how cold tumors resist immune attack and how to bypass these shields therapeutically has eluded scientists.

Cancer experts at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have identified that a cellular protein known as SerpinB9, or Sb9, could represent cold tumors’ Achilles heel. In a study published in Cell, pharmacological agents to inhibit Sb9 have been found to poke holes in cold tumors’ defense mechanisms and ignite molecular pathways of cell death from within.

“This protein could be extremely important for future cancer therapies, and the research community might have a better way to target this protein.”

Reza Abdi, one of the investigators on the team said: “In this study, we showed proof of concept using a small molecule that is…