A drug against cancer –MSC-1– developed by Spanish researchers from the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) has opened a path of hope for patients with advanced solid tumors, since in preliminary trials it has demonstrated its safety and efficacy in the treatment of advanced solid tumors, which is why it will be included in an international clinical trial.
In the first of the trials with the drug MSC-1, 41 patients with cancer of the pancreas, colon, head and neck, ovary, and prostate participated, all of whom were in an advanced stage of the disease and who had undergone previously administered different oncological treatments. All patients have tolerated the drug well and have not suffered toxicity or serious adverse effects associated with treatment, as reported by the hospital in a statement. In addition, biopsies from patients have been analyzed to understand the mechanism of action of the drug.
Precision medicine tailored to each cancer patient
Joan Seoane, ICREA researcher and co-director of the VHIO Preclinical and Translational Research Program, has stated that the objective of MSC-1 is to block the LIF protein, which “is involved in various physiological and pathological processes and participates in two ways in the development of embryonic: protects the embryo from the mother’s immune system by promoting an immunosuppressive environment, and promotes stem cell proliferation during embryonic development.
In a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer who had previously been treated with four different drugs, the tumor was reduced by 40%
The researchers found during the trial that the tumor stopped growing in nine (23.7%) of the 41 patients, and in the case of one patient with advanced pancreatic cancer who had previously been treated with four different drugs, the tumor experienced a 40% reduction. “In the first trial of MSC-1 in humans, the first evidence of immunoactivating activity has been observed through the study of the biopsies performed. The presence of immunological activation biomarkers in the tumor environment supports the therapeutic hypothesis of MSC-1”, stated Dr. Seoane.
The results of the study have been published in ESMO Open and have shown that the treatment in combination with another drug could be effective. “Studying how patients with certain abnormal expressions of LIF respond to treatment makes us move towards precision medicine that allows us to make the optimal therapeutic decisions for each patient and propose the appropriate therapeutic combination”, highlighted the doctor, who adds: “ The results of this trial support our hypothesis that LIF could be a therapeutic target to treat patients with advanced solid tumors.” “We have already initiated a phase II clinical trial of MSC-1 in combination with an immunotherapeutic agent, anti-PD-L1, in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, the results of which should determine the antitumor efficacy of the drug.”
How the drug MSC-1 works against advanced tumors
MSC-1 inhibits the LIF protein and thus transforms macrophages from a pro-tumor immunosuppressive state to an anti-tumor immunostimulatory state, promoting the infiltration of T cells into the tumor, as detailed from the hospital.
This causes an immune response against the tumor and an antitumor effect. “We have observed that the efficacy of MSC-1 occurs, at least in part, through the change in the characteristics of the macrophages and the increase in the infiltration of immune cells (T cells) to favor antitumor immunity,” he explained. Dr Seoane. The group led by Dr. Seoane has also published a new study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research in which the molecular mechanisms of the drug MSC-1 are described.
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