June 6, 2022
Drug combination shows promise against cancer's 'death star' protein
by Institute of Cancer Research
A drug combination targeting multiple mutant versions of cancer's "death star" protein has shown promise in a small, early-phase clinical trial for some patients with advanced lung, ovarian and thyroid cancer.
The two-drug combination was effective against advanced cancers with a range of mutations to the KRAS gene—dubbed the "death star" because its protein drives one in four cancers and has a largely impenetrable, drug-resistant surface.
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Rather than drugging KRAS itself, VS-6766 and everolimus render KRAS less effective by simultaneously blocking the two pathways that KRAS relies upon to drive growth. This means the drug combination may also target cancers that are driven by many other KRAS mutations, opening up treatment options for other patients for whom current treatments have stopped working.
Targeting KRAS-fueled cancer in two separate ways aimed to delay the evolution of drug resistance and prevent cancer from progressing....
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