Asthma Drug Shows Promise in Slowing Tumor Growth, Researchers Say
Researchers found montelukast blocked a tumor switch in mice and human samples, restoring immunotherapy response and slowing growth in several cancer types.
- Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researchers discovered that the asthma medication montelukast may restore cancer immunotherapy efficacy by targeting the CysLTR1 molecule.
- Tumors frequently evade immunotherapy by tricking the immune system into producing excessive white blood cells, a process controlled by the CysLTR1 molecule acting as an on/off switch.
- Published in the journal Nature Cancer, the study demonstrated that blocking this molecule in mouse models slowed tumor growth and improved survival rates across several cancer types.
- Because the asthma drug montelukast, sold as Singulair, is already FDA-approved, researchers believe the findings could move quickly into clinical trials.
- Bin Zhang, professor of cancer immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, noted next steps include confirming this mechanism in humans. "We may be able to quickly and safely test it," Zhang said.
45 Articles
45 Articles
Montelukast May Improve Cancer Immunotherapy Effectiveness, Study Finds
The common asthma drug montelukast may boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies, new research suggests.Montelukast, sold under the brand name Singulair by Organon and available in generic versions, blocks a key molecule called CysLTR1 that plays a role in asthma. The molecule is also used by tumors to suppress the body's immune defenses, researchers found in lab experiments. By blocking CysLTR1 and restoring those immune defenses, mont…
Immunotherapy is one of the great recent revolutions in the fight against cancer, a weapon capable of teaching the immune system to destroy malignant cells, too often encounters a problem. In particularly aggressive tumors, such as triple-negative breast cancer, treatment simply stops working. Now, a team of scientists from Northwestern University in Chicago seems to have found an unexpected way to knock down that wall using an old acquaintance …
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