Genomically informed small-molecule drugs overcome resistance to a sustained-release formulation of an engineered death receptor agonist in patient-derived tumor models.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31517048.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aaw9162 and PMC identifier 6726446.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Extrinsic pathway agonists have failed repeatedly in the clinic for three core reasons: Inefficient ligand-induced receptor multimerization, poor pharmacokinetic properties, and tumor intrinsic resistance. Here, we address these factors by (i) using a highly potent death receptor agonist (DRA), (ii) developing an injectable depot for sustained DRA delivery, and (iii) leveraging a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen in DRA-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) cells to identify functional drivers of resistance. Pharmacological blockade of XIAP and BCL-X<sub>L</sub> by targeted small-molecule drugs strongly enhanced the antitumor activity of DRA in CRC cell lines. Recombinant fusion of the DRA to a thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) creates a gel-like depot upon subcutaneous injection that abolishes tumors in DRA-sensitive Colo205 mouse xenografts. Combination of ELP<sub>depot</sub>-DRA with BCL-X<sub>L</sub> and/or XIAP inhibitors led to tumor growth inhibition and extended survival in DRA-resistant patient-derived xenografts. This strategy provides a precision medicine approach to overcome similar challenges with other protein-based cancer therapies.
Medical subject headings
- Antineoplastic Agents
- Colorectal Neoplasms
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
- X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein
- bcl-X Protein