Researchers have successfully developed a new drug that completely eradicates 4 types of cancer in experiments conducted on mice, especially when combined with immunotherapy. The drug showed a clear ability to slow tumor growth in various types of cancer, including breast, colon, melanoma, and prostate cancer during the experiments. It also contributed to reducing the formation of blood vessels within the tumor and limiting its ability to spread. The new treatment, developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in the United States, targets proteins known as HIF-1 and HIF-2, described as "master keys" controlling cancer growth and spread. Researchers developed drugs that target both proteins simultaneously, rather than just one, designing these compounds using advanced computer-based techniques, which accelerated the drug discovery process and allowed for the selection of the most effective molecules. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine revealed that these proteins help cancer cells survive and grow by stimulating the formation of new blood vessels that feed the tumor, enhancing its ability to invade surrounding tissues, and even disabling the immune system and preventing it from attacking the tumor. The levels of these proteins rise in low-oxygen environments, a common condition within fast-growing tumors, making their elevation an indicator of treatment failure and poor patient prognosis. The greatest effect was seen when these drugs were combined with immunotherapy, particularly with checkpoint inhibitors in this case, leading to a complete cure in over 50% of the infected mice, even in cases that had not previously responded to immunotherapy alone. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a modern type of cancer treatment that works by freeing up the immune system to attack cancer cells. The body has natural mechanisms called checkpoints that prevent the immune system from attacking healthy cells, but cancer cells exploit these mechanisms to hide from the immune system. These drugs come in to disable those signals, allowing immune cells, especially T-cells, to recognize and attack the tumor more effectively. Most remarkably, these animals remained tumor-free even after being re-injected with new cancer cells, suggesting that their immune systems became capable of effectively recognizing and attacking cancer. The researchers found that the drug changes the tumor's internal environment by reducing the number of immune-suppressing cells and increasing the number of killer immune cells like T-cells and natural killer cells, which boosts the body's ability to fight cancer. An additional advantage of this treatment is that it can be taken orally, and it showed no serious side effects in animal experiments, even when used for long periods and at higher doses than the effective dose. Although the results are still preclinical, they open the door to the possibility of developing a more effective treatment for a wide range of cancers, especially those that resist conventional therapy. This study represents an important step toward a deeper understanding of how to support the immune system in its fight against cancer and may mark the beginning of a new approach that combines targeting the tumor environment and activating immunity at the same time.
