Selective targeting of metastatic ovarian cancer using an engineered anthrax prodrug activated by membrane-anchored serine proteases
Menée à l'aide de lignées cellulaires, de modèles murins et de sphéroïdes dérivés d'ascites de patientes atteintes d'un cancer de l'ovaire, cette étude met en évidence l'intérêt thérapeutique de la toxine du charbon modifiée par ingénierie pour être activée à la surface des cellules cancéreuses par les protéases activant le zymogène et déclencher la mort cellulaire
Treatments for advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer remain a challenge due to a lack of potent, selective, and effective therapeutics. Here, we developed the basis for a transformative anticancer strategy based on anthrax toxin that has been engineered to be selectively activated by the catalytic power of zymogen-activating proteases on the surface of malignant tumor cells to induce cell death. Exposure to the engineered toxin is cytotoxic to ovarian tumor cell lines and ovarian tumor spheroids derived from patient ascites. Preclinical studies demonstrate that toxin treatment induces tumor regression in several in vivo ovarian cancer models, including patient-derived xenografts, without adverse side effects, supportive of progression toward clinical evaluation. These data lay the groundwork for developing therapeutics for treating women with late-stage and recurrent ovarian cancers, utilizing a mechanism distinct from current anticancer therapies.