Icahn School of Medicine researchers have reported that they discovered an ingredient in allergy medicine that can reduce lung cancer tumors. In their study, they found that when blocked, an allergy pathway releases anti-tumor immunity against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings were described in issue of Nature and showed one out of six people experienced significant tumor reduction.
The research team found that blocking a specific allergy pathway in Mice with lung cancer increased their ability to fight with tumors. This study has evaluated the combination of a PD1 inhibitor with dupilumab, an Interleukin-4 (IL-4) receptor blocking antibody. It helped in boosting the immune system of lung cancer patients.
Immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade has revolutionised treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of lung cancer, but currently only about a third of patients respond to it alone, and in most patients, the benefit is temporary,” said Miriam Merad, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
In this study, the team focussed on using single cell technology and artificial intelligence to identify molecular immune programmes. “Using single cell technologies, we discovered that the immune cells infiltrating lung cancers, as well as other cancers we studied, exhibited characteristics of a ‘type 2’ immune response, which is commonly associated with allergic conditions like eczema and asthma,” said Nelson LaMarche, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The researchers are optimistic about the early results buy stressed on the need for more extensive trials to confirm the effectiveness of drug in treatment of lung cancer. The investigators are now expanding the clinical trial, adding dupilumab to checkpoint blockade for larger group of lung cancer patients. They aim to search for biomarkers that can predict which patients might be benefitted grom dupilumab treatment and which may not.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only.
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