health
Smart drug that strips cancer cells of ‘invisibility cloak’ can shrink tumours by 30%, trial shows
Experimental tablet produces encouraging results in patients with world’s most common forms of disease
TL;DR
- A new experimental drug, GRWD5769, is designed to prevent cancer cells from hiding from the immune system.
- In a trial across the UK, France, Spain, and Australia, 83 patients with cervical, bladder, liver, bowel, lung, or head and neck cancers received GRWD5769 alongside immunotherapy (cemiplimab).
- Tumor shrinkage was observed in 26 patients, with 15 experiencing reductions of at least 30%.
- The drug works by inhibiting the ERAP1 enzyme, effectively removing cancer's 'invisibility cloak' and making tumor cells visible to T-cells.
- Patients in the trial had previously failed to respond to treatment, and most had limited options.
- GRWD5769 showed tumor shrinkage across all six cancer types in the trial and halted disease progression for at least six months in a percentage of patients for each cancer type.
- Developed by Greywolf Therapeutics, the drug is taken as a tablet and was well-tolerated, with few side-effects reported.
- Further studies are planned, with researchers expressing optimism about the drug's potential to make immunotherapy more effective.