New Immunotherapy Shows Promise for Cancer Treatment
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have unveiled a potent new class of immunotherapies capable of targeting various cancer types while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. This research is led by Dr. Michael Demetriou and focuses on utilizing special binding proteins to target complex carbohydrate chains, known as glycans, found on cancer cells.
The team created biologically engineered compounds, GlyTR1 and GlyTR2 (pronounced “glitter”), which proved effective and safe in preclinical models for multiple cancers, including those affecting the breast, colon, lungs, and more, as detailed in the journal Cell.
Demetriou described this innovation as “the holy grail” of cancer treatment: a single approach that could potentially target nearly all forms of cancer. He emphasized that GlyTR’s unique sugar-binding technology addresses key challenges faced by existing cancer immunotherapies, especially in differentiating between cancerous and normal cells.
Significant Milestone
The study’s publication marks a significant achievement after a decade of research, representing a proud moment for UC Irvine and its Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Marian Waterman, who once guided the center’s research direction, highlighted the transformative potential of this study for cancer treatment, recalling Demetriou’s initial work on the concept back in 2015 with Raymond W. Zhou, the paper’s first author.
Richard A. Van Etten, director of the cancer center, remarked that this technology might enable targeted T-cell therapies for solid tumors, a major breakthrough in immuno-oncology.
Current treatments, like CAR T therapy, have primarily been effective against blood cancers. Interestingly, the GlyTR technology also demonstrated success in combating leukemia.
Innovative Targeting Strategy
While many in the field usually focus on identifying protein biomarkers for specific cancers, Demetriou and Zhou took a different route, aiming at the abundant glycan coating on cancer cells, which is less common on normal cells. These sugar chains, though widely present as cancer markers, had been largely overlooked because they don’t actively engage the immune system.
To address this, they engineered GlyTR compounds to attach to glycan-rich cancer cells, akin to Velcro, while sparing normal cells with lower glycan density. Once these compounds adhere to the cancer cells, they signal the immune system to take action against them.
Current immunotherapies typically target cells based only on specific proteins, leading to difficulty in distinguishing tumor cells from healthy ones. Another challenge in developing effective cancer treatments is the protective shield formed by glycans around solid tumors. The GlyTR compounds, by focusing on these glycans, manage to overcome this hurdle.
Next Steps for Human Trials
The next phase involves testing this therapy’s safety and efficacy in humans. The manufacturing process for clinical-grade GlyTR1 is underway at the National Cancer Institute’s facilities in Maryland. This progress could facilitate the start of a phase 1 clinical trial within the next couple of years, targeting patients with a variety of advanced solid cancers.
This patient group typically shows the highest density of glycans, often presenting a significant treatment challenge. Dr. Farshid Dayyani, medical director of the cancer center’s Stern Center for Clinical Trials and Research, expressed hope that this innovative treatment could be a game changer for patients waiting for new options.
