When the cancer cells were reinjected into the cured mice for 60 days, no new tumors were also observed in the cured mice. The relevant research as entitled "Eradication of tumors and development of anti-cancer immunity using STINGa targeted by pHLIP" has been published in the Frontiers in Oncology journal.
The investigators eradicate malignancy in mice by combining immunotherapeutic agents with molecular delivery systems that target tumor acidity. This method connects an immunotherapeutic agent of an STING (STimulator of InterferoN Gene, interferon gene stimulator) agonist to an acid-seeking molecule of another pHLIP ®. The pHLIP molecules target the high acidity of cancerous tumors, delivering its immunotherapeutic cargo directly to cells in the tumor microenvironment. Once released, STING agonists stimulate the body's innate immune response to fight the tumor.
PH L I P is able to target STING agonists specifically to tumor cells, not only as cancer cells, but also as dormant immune cells within tumors, which can significantly increase their potency. PHLIP is a peptide (amino acid chain) derived from bacterial rhodopsin, a membrane protein that enables certain unicellular organisms to convert light into energy.
Yana Reshetnyak, the author of this study, said: " STING agonist is an important class of immune modulators, research shows that it usually cannot work alone, need to somehow as a target, and using pHLIP through its acidic targeted tumor, can successfully find a variety of different cell types in the tumor microenvironment, and achieve synergy and quite significant therapeutic effect.”
Researchers say that just a single dose combination of pHLIP STING agonists can eradicate colorectal cancer, or even large advanced tumors, in mice. Treated mice also develop durable immunity, allowing their immune system to recognize and fight cancer long after the tumor disappears. While the researchers emphasize that successful anticancer results in mice do not represent results that can be fully replicated in humans, this significant finding can test the safety and efficacy of cancer patients, setting the stage for potential clinical trials.
