A group of scientists announced the discovery of an antibody this Monday (25). that attacks cancer stem cells but does not damage healthy cells.
According to a study published in the journal Nature Cancer, petosemtamab (or MCLA158) prevents the occurrence of metastasis (meaning the spread of cancer to other vital organs) while slowing the growth of primary tumors.
- Study Links Bacteria to Increased Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer; The finding can lead to treatment
- Discovery of the immune system that can help fight all types of cancer
“The medicine of the future starts here,” said Eduard Battle, a researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB) who was involved in the project.
Use of “Spy”: the organoids
The study was conducted in mice, so it’s still considered initial, but the scientists say it provides the basis for widespread use Organoids (small 3D tissues made from stem cells) in the discovery of new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry.
That’s because organoids, which are cell cultures, could facilitate testing and identifying drugs that are effective for patients when used in the early stages of drug development.
Another advantage is that the possible side effects of these drugs can also be identified immediately and even whether they are effective against tumors with a specific mutation.
But this was only possible because for the first time a kind of “biobank” of organoids from patients with colon cancer was used. In this way, the researchers were able to determine which new antibody was the most effective among hundreds of antibodies analyzed and possibly best suited for most patients.
2 of 2 Visual representation of the MCLA158. — Photo: IRB BARCELONA AND MERUS NV
Visual representation of the MCLA158. — Photo: IRB BARCELONA AND MERUS NV
Currently, regenerative medicine only uses organoids to personalize cancer treatment: researchers, for example, evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment for a specific patient.
Dutch biotechnology company Merus, which led the project with researchers from IRB Barcelona from the Center for Biomedical Research of the Cancer Network (CIBERONC), now intends to publish new data on ongoing clinical trials in the coming months.
Human security audit
In October last year, the company presented preliminary data on the safety, tolerability and antitumor activity of MCLA158 monotherapy in a malignant tumor that developed from epithelial cells, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
According to the Phase 1 study, three of the seven patients with HNSCC achieved partial responses, and one achieved a complete response after the August 2021 data cutoff. Tumor shrinkage was observed in all seven patients.
“We hope that the antitumor activity reported in the preliminary data will be confirmed,” added Batlle.
(VIDEO: Ministry of Health publishes study on cancer cure cases.)
Ministry of Health publishes study on cancer cure cases